Miscarriage Prison Sentence Settlement

What happened

The outlets' own sentences, most widely reported first. Hover or tap one to see who reported it.

Analysis

How it changed

1. 7 Oct

   Patience Rousseau, aged 26 at the time, miscarried in April 2018 and was stunned when officers with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office turned up at her doorstep in the rural city of Winnemucca a month later to question her.

   3 outlets · The Independent
2. 8 Oct

   Her attorneys submitted a demand letter to Humboldt County in March, alleging that the county had broken state law, violated Rousseau's state and federal constitutional rights and intentionally inflicted emotional distress on her, according to the Nevada Independent.

   2 outlets · Daily Mail
3. 9 Oct

   Rousseau says she is now sober and living in South Dakota with her three sons — ages 4, 7 and 9 — with another child living with an estranged relative.

   2 outlets · New York Post
4. 10 Oct

   Carson City lawyer Laura FitzSimmons argued that prosecutors could not establish whether Rousseau's drug use had caused the miscarriage.

   2 outlets · Daily Mail

Coverage 4 articles

• 10 Oct Woman jailed for giving herself a miscarriage wins $1.6m settlementPatience Rousseau, 34, has won a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County in Nevada after spending over two years in prison for an obscure law that accused her of causing the death of her unborn child through drug use. Prosecutors claimed Rousseau had induced a miscarriage using illegal methods like consuming large quantities of cinnamon and lifting heavy objects, leading to her manslaughter conviction in 2019…Daily Mail
• 9 Oct Nevada mom imprisoned for miscarriage blamed on her drug use gets $1.6M payoutPatience Rousseau, a 34-year-old Nevada mother who spent two years in prison after her miscarriage was mistakenly blamed on drug use and prosecuted under an obscure 1911 state law, has been awarded $1.6 million as part of a settlement agreement. Initially convicted of manslaughter in 2019, Rousseau's case garnered attention for its misuse of outdated laws against women’s reproductive rights; her conviction was…New York Post
• 8 Oct Woman who was sent to prison and labeled 'baby killer' after suffering miscarriage gets life-changing payout in Nevada courtPatience Rousseau, a Nevada woman who served nearly two years in prison after being accused of intentionally causing her miscarriage in 2018, has received a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County. Initially sentenced to up to eight years under an outdated state law that criminalizes ending a pregnancy past the 24th week, Rousseau's conviction was later dismissed by a judge who called it a 'total miscarriage of…Daily Mail
• 7 Oct Nevada woman sent to prison and labeled ‘baby killer’ after a miscarriage wins $1.6M awardPatience Rousseau, a woman from Winnemucca, Nevada, was wrongly convicted of manslaughter after miscarrying in 2018 and served two years in prison under a century-old law. She recently won a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County. The case involved an officer who harbored animosity towards Rousseau and kept the remains of her miscarried fetus, which were returned as part of the settlement. Her legal team…The Independent

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