PRESS RELEASE

May 24, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- For More Information Visit:
www.evansmoorelaw.com
Contact: Scott C. Evans

EVANS MOORE LAW FIRM FILES LAWSUIT ON BEHALF OF THE ESTATE OF EDDIE GASKINS ALLEGING
WRONGFUL DEATH AS A RESULT OF THE LEE CORRECTIONAL PRISON RIOT

Today Evans Moore, LLC, along with Rhoad & Rhoad, and the Law Office of Grover Seaton, filed
a wrongful death lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Corrections in connection
with the Lee Correctional prison riot that took place on April 15, 2018.

According to Mr. Gaskins’ death certificate, Mr. Gaskins died from exsanguination, also known as
severe loss of blood, due to multiple stab wounds and sharp force injuries. The Estate of Eddie
Gaskins is the first wrongful death lawsuit filed in connection with the prison riot that left seven
(7) inmates dead and an additional twenty-two (22) hospitalized. The Lee Correctional prison
riot has been classified as the Nation’s deadliest prison riot in a quarter-century.

The pleadings allege that recent incidents within SCDC, including the Lee Correctional prison riot,
show a pattern and practice of gross negligence and conscious indifference by the administrators
and supervisors at Lee Correctional Institution in properly monitoring the inmates, providing
basic medical care, and supervising and training correctional officers among other issues.

Attorney James B. Moore III, one of the attorneys representing the Estate of Eddie Gaskins stated:
“What should have been a likely two-year sentence resulted in a death sentence for Eddie. How
much blood must be spilled before SCDC adheres to its own rules? Eddie was not just an inmate;
was a son, a brother, and a father to four young children.”

Attorney Scott C. Evans added: “Lee Correctional Institution has a history of serious human rights
violations. Ten years ago, SCDC’s own documents implicated Lee Correctional staff in the
freezing death of a non-verbal, developmentally disabled inmate who was left without clothing
or blankets for 7 days in the winter. Not a single Lee Correctional employee was indicted, fired,
reprimanded, or even written up in connection with that inmate’s death. This continuing pattern
of blatant disregard for basic safety and human rights has no place in the modern world.”

Evans Moore, LLC anticipates the filing of a separate lawsuit in Federal Court for the violations of
Mr. Gaskin’s civil rights once discovery progresses and the pending investigatory reports are
released.
For additional information please visit:
www.evansmoorelaw.com
or call 843-995-5000