A lawsuit filed in federal court Friday alleges that systemic failures by the City of Issaquah and the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) led to the death of 36-year-old Ismail Mamatov, who died of a drug overdose just hours after being transferred between jails.
According to the complaint filed by Roza Aydin, the personal representative of Mamatov’s estate, Mamatov was released from Issaquah Jail on June 26, 2023, after spending 133 days in custody.
He was placed back into civilian clothes that allegedly contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Later that evening, he was transferred to SCORE Jail in Des Moines, still under the influence of drugs.
Video footage reportedly shows Mamatov was left unattended during the booking process at SCORE, allowing him to transfer drugs from his civilian clothes into his jail uniform.
Hours later, he told a jail nurse that he had used fentanyl while in Issaquah custody and was in withdrawal.
A drug screening came back positive for multiple substances, including fentanyl, and he was flagged for “Active Withdrawal,” triggering a required medical monitoring protocol.
That protocol, known as the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS), was supposed to include medical assessments every eight hours for five days.
However, records show that required welfare checks and detox assessments were either delayed or not completed.
Around 7 a.m. on June 27, Mamatov was seen snorting something on surveillance footage.
Later that morning, fellow inmates noticed he was pale and had blood coming from his mouth.
Despite visible signs of distress, corrections staff did not intervene.
His lunch was left in the cell uneaten.
By the time a jail worker notified staff that Mamatov was unresponsive around 3 p.m., he had no pulse and was cold to the touch. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
The King County Medical Examiner later confirmed the cause of death as acute combined intoxication from fentanyl and methamphetamine.
A bag of drugs was found in his jail shirt pocket.
The lawsuit accuses both jails of negligence and civil rights violations.
It argues that Issaquah Jail failed to properly search Mamatov’s clothing before releasing him and was already aware of the risks of drug smuggling and overdoses within the facility.
At least two other individuals reportedly died of fentanyl overdoses at Issaquah Jail in 2023, according to the complaint.
SCORE, which contracts jail services to multiple cities, is also alleged to have had longstanding issues with inadequate staffing, poor training, and substandard medical care.
According to the lawsuit, the jail contracts its medical services to Wellpath, a private, for-profit healthcare provider.
The complaint references a 2019 national investigation that documented widespread failures at Wellpath facilities, including allegations that medical staff failed to treat life-threatening conditions and falsified records.
One former Wellpath nurse who worked at SCORE described the facility as “the most unprofessional place” she had ever worked, alleging that she was pressured to rush through medical intakes and that inmates suffering from severe withdrawal were neglected.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for Mamatov’s estate and surviving family members.
It also names several individual employees from both SCORE and Wellpath as defendants.
Attorneys for the plaintiff argue that Mamatov’s death could have been prevented if jail staff had followed basic protocols and taken his medical needs seriously.
KIRO 7 News has reached out to the City of Issaquah and SCORE for comment.
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