New York City has reached a $28 million settlement in a lawsuit brought forward by the family of a former Rikers prisoner who suffered severe brain damage after attempting to hang himself in his cell while guards watched without intervening. Nicholas Feliciano was 18 years old at the time and had a history of severe mental illness and previous suicide attempts. He was imprisoned at Rikers over a parole violation in late 2019, when he tried to hang himself while more than half a dozen guards stood by and did not interfere until Feliciano became unconscious and limp. Three of the guards and a captain were charged with felonies in 2022. If approved, this settlement will be among the largest pretrial settlements ever awarded to a single plaintiff in a civil rights case in New York City.