Man serving life at a state prison in Centre County sues for medical negligence
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- Inmate Stephen Rozniakowski sues corrections staff over delayed foot fracture care.
- Lawsuit cites missed X-ray notice, moldy cast, denied wheelchair and remedies.
- He seeks damages, court-ordered care, ADA accommodations and retaliation ban.
A man incarcerated at Benner Township state prison alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday that medical staff at the facility failed to properly treat his fractured foot for weeks, leaving him unable to walk without a cane.
Stephen Rozniakowski is seeking monetary damages, court-ordered medical care and the continuation of Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations such as a bottom bunk and orthopedic shoes.
Rozniakowski, 43, of Delaware County, is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 to 20 years. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the 2014 killing of a woman and wounding of her daughter.
A state Department of Corrections spokesperson declined an opportunity Monday to respond to the lawsuit, writing in an email that the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
Rozniakowski said in the lawsuit that he had severe pain, swelling and could not walk after injuring his foot while getting out of bed in November 2023. Two X-rays were performed the following month, the second of which Rozniakowski said confirmed a fracture.
But he claimed two weeks passed before he was notified of the finding. The lawsuit loosely quoted a certified registered nurse practitioner saying a doctor “just closed it out.”
Rozniakowski said he was not seen by an outside orthopedic provider until February 2024. His leg was placed in a cast, but the lawsuit claimed it became moldy and led to persistent pain. He further said he was repeatedly denied a wheelchair, which he said he needed because his left arm was impaired from a prior gunshot wound.
He filed a grievance and an appeal, but both were denied. The four-count lawsuit is also seeking a court order preventing retaliation.
Rozniakowski, a former part-time police officer in suburban Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in November 2017 to the fatal shooting of Valerie Morrow. He was heavily armed, wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a portable police radio when he broke into her home and shot her. He then shot and wounded her retreating daughter.
Rozniakowski was wounded during a gunfire exchange with Morrow’s husband and was then taken into custody. Delaware County prosecutors had sought the death penalty until he pleaded guilty.
He remains at Benner state prison, where he has been since February 2018, the DOC spokesperson told the Centre Daily Times.