Kent faces lawsuit after female inmate death in city jail

Published 5:59 pm Thursday, May 21, 2026

The city of Kent faces a federal civil lawsuit for its alleged “negligence” and “deliberate indifference to medical needs” in the death of a 45-year-old female inmate in April 2025 in the city jail.

The suit was filed May 8 in U.S. District Court on behalf of the estate of Rena Flaherty, through her mother Teresa Flaherty, represented by Connelly Law Offices, of Tacoma.

Rena Flaherty died on April 22, 2025 at the city jail, 1230 Central Ave. S., of “dehydration and ketoacidosis, opiate withdrawal,” and her manner of death was natural, according to a May 14, 2025 report by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

A corrections officer found Flaherty dead in a holding cell, according to Kent Police. She had been in the jail since April 19.

In addition to the city of Kent, the defendants include Healthcare Delivery Inc., which contracts with Kent to provide medical services to jail inmates, and Shannon Slack, the president and CEO of Healthcare Delivery, which is based out of Toledo, Washington.

“The Kent jail’s failures caused Ms. Flaherty’s injuries and death,” according to the suit. “Had the jail required buprenorphine access, overnight medical coverage, and adequate cell safety checks, Ms. Flaherty’s withdrawal would have been treated.

“Had corrections officers been properly trained to recognize withdrawal emergencies, they would have called 911 when they observed her deteriorating condition. Had the jail not tolerated a custom of ignoring medical requests, Ms. Flaherty would have received a timely medical intake. Instead, she died alone in a holding cell, surrounded by her own vomit, while corrections officers repeatedly walked past her door without action.”

The Kent Reporter reached out to City Attorney Tammy White and received the following reply from the city of Kent’s communications team.

“The death of a loved one is tragic,” according to a May 19 email from the city of Kent. “The city recognizes how painful and difficult this must be for Ms. Flaherty’s family, and the city extends its sincere condolences. Because litigation is actively pending, the city is unable to comment on the specific allegations set forth within the complaint or the details surrounding Ms. Flaherty’s death.

According to the suit, on April 19, 2025, Rena Flaherty was booked into the City of Kent Corrections Facility on misdemeanor warrants. She told booking that she was withdrawing from opioids and requested medical care. The responsibility to care for Flaherty—who could not care for herself—fell to Healthcare Delivery Systems (HDS), a for-profit corporation overseeing jail health care.

“Ms. Flaherty waited 18 hours before HDS evaluated her,” according to the suit. “After she was finally assessed, Ms. Flaherty scored so high on an opioid withdrawal scale that federal guidelines mandated immediate buprenorphine to manage dangerous side effects from withdrawal, yet HDS never initiated it. Then HDS failed to consistently reassess Ms. Flaherty using the standard opioid-withdrawal screening tool.”

The suit alleges that at every step, HDS violated nationally accepted guidelines for treating Flaherty’s withdrawal—standards the corporation itself claims to follow.

“Then, on April 21, medical staff left for the evening and turned Ms. Flaherty’s care over to the guards on the graveyard shift,” according to the suit. “Abandoned by the city of Kent’s medical provider, Ms. Flaherty vomited into the night, appeared increasingly unstable on her feet, and when offered a shower, was too weak to rinse the vomit off herself.”

Jail staff said she “looked like a mess,” according to the suit.

“Still, as Ms. Flaherty spiraled downward, the guards never called for medical help,” according to the suit. “By the morning, Ms. Flaherty lay face down on her cell floor with black liquid pooling around her. Jail staff walked past her cell repeatedly—and did nothing.”

The suit claims the result was a preventable tragedy:

“Ms. Flaherty died face down on her cell floor due to untreated opioid withdrawal,” according to the suit. “This lawsuit seeks some semblance of justice for defendants’ misconduct.”

The plaintiffs request a jury trial and financial relief.

“As a direct and proximate result of the Kent jail’s unconstitutional policies, customs, practices, and failures to train, Ms. Flaherty suffered severe physical pain, suffering and death,” according to the suit .”The Estate is entitled to compensatory damages, including economic and noneconomic damages, in amounts to be proven at trial.”

The plaintiffs also request punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, joint and several liability and such other relief as the court deems appropriate.