COUNTYWIDE : Suit by Man Who Lost Foot Dismissed

A Port Hueneme man whose foot had to be amputated after he served time in Ventura County Jail has lost a federal lawsuit alleging that negligence by the county sheriff’s staff led to an infection that forced the amputation.

U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real on Monday dismissed a civil rights lawsuit filed by Jose Miguel Trujillo on the ground that Trujillo, 38, had not proved that jailers showed deliberate indifference toward his illness.

Trujillo’s suit contended that jail-issue sandals he was forced to wear for seven days rubbed his feet and caused an infection so severe that doctors had to amputate his right foot in July, 1989. Trujillo said the infection never healed because diabetes has left his legs with poor circulation.

Real dismissed the case on the eve of the trial, before any evidence was presented to a jury.

Trujillo, who could not be reached for comment, “is very disappointed,” said his wife, Maria Rojas.

“He’s very disgusted,” she said. “He says it’s so unfair that they didn’t hear him say what really happened, and he’s just very mad.” Rojas said her husband wants to file an appeal.