Massachusetts city is set to settle a lawsuit in the death of an opioid-addicted woman Boston 25 News [Video]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Relatives of a Vermont woman whose obituary drew national attention for its candid and heart-breaking discussion of her opioid addiction have reached a settlement with some of the parties who were sued for allegedly failing to provide adequate medical care.

The family of Madelyn Linsenmeir sued the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, saying law enforcement officials ignored the 30-year-old mother’s pleas for help before she died of an infected heart valve.

The Springfield City Council is scheduled this week to take up the proposed settlement involving the city and three police employees, according to a court document. The settlement doesn’t cover the sheriff’s office.

Linsenmeir’s obituary was shared widely for its blunt discourse on her struggle with drug addiction, encouraging readers to see addiction as a disease and “not a choice or a weakness.”