An Indiana man severely beaten by other inmates at Marion County's old lockup in 2001 recently settled a lawsuit with the county for $200,000.
Larry Jackson, 47, spent two months in Wishard Memorial Hospital and a year in rehabilitation to relearn how to walk and talk after the attack in May 2001, his attorney, Patrick Baker, said Thursday.

Jackson still copes with the effects of the head injuries he suffered, including difficulty with speech and memory, Baker said. He lives with family members and is able to work odd jobs, such as maintenance, the attorney said.

Jackson sued Marion County Sheriff's Department on May 19, 2003. Baker said Jackson and his family are pleased with the outcome.

"We thought it was a very fair settlement,'' he said.

James Osborn, a lawyer with the Office of Corporation Counsel, which represents the city and the county in legal matters, confirmed the settlement but declined to comment further.

At the time of the attack, Jackson was among 60 inmates in a holding cell with 40 bunks. Overcrowding at the former lockup and the jail were acute problems at that time, and the attack on Jackson was held up as an illustration of the potential dangers of the overcrowding.

Since then, the lockup has been replaced by the Arrestee Processing Center, and overcrowding at the jail has been reduced, to the point that Sheriff Frank Anderson asked this week to be released from court oversight.

In a written statement, Baker also praised Anderson for addressing the issue and said he hoped the sheriff's leadership would encourage city leaders to address the condition of the City-County Building and build a new criminal justice center.