Clarence Hightower, pictured with his wife, Danielle, is suing the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for delaying a cancer surgery he needed for months while he was in jail. A La Mesa man whose cancer surgery was delayed for months while he was in sheriff’s custody has filed a federal lawsuit against San Diego County, saying he suffered serious health issues from the department’s decision to put off the procedure.saying his former lawyer told him he would likely receive probation.
“What should have been a surgery to remove a small tumor from Mr. Hightower’s lung, followed by a six- to eight-week recovery, ended up requiring the removal of a 10-by-10-centimeter tumor, along with two-thirds of his right lung,” he says in the complaint filed Wednesday in federal court. “At the beginning of 2023, Mr. Hightower developed a noticeable wheeze he did not previously have,” the lawsuit says. “This was likely caused by the tumor growing and further blocking one of his main airways.”
But according to the 20-page lawsuit, Hightower had to spend 10 days at UC San Diego Medical Center and five more days at Paradise Valley Hospital recovering from the surgery due to the delay.