Man’s fatal 7-story leap from Renewal halfway house window prompts lawsuit
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The family of a man who died last year after jumping out of a seventh-floor window at a halfway house in Downtown Pittsburgh sued the federal government and the facility on Thursday.
Thomas Spencer III, 24, died on April 17, 2023.
On Thursday, his father, Thomas Spencer Jr., who is listed as the administrator of his son’s estate, filed the complaint in federal court in Pittsburgh. It names as defendants the United States, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, Renewal Inc., Probation Officer Dawn Robinson and unnamed employees of Renewal.
A manager at Renewal said Friday she could not comment on the complaint.
A message left with the probation office was not immediately returned.
Spencer pleaded guilty in September 2018 to three federal crimes, including possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, as well as a firearms charge.
He was ordered to serve 6½ years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Spencer was released from prison on Oct. 7, 2022, and began serving his time at Renewal Center on the Boulevard of the Allies.
Although he was scheduled to be released on Jan. 4, 2023, the probation office filed a motion with the court the day before requesting that Spencer be permitted to remain at Renewal.
According to the court filing, Spencer had no viable home plan or approved residence.
Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone granted the motion that day.
According to the lawsuit, on the day of his death, Spencer had a disagreement with his case manager at Renewal and became “extremely agitated, distressed and emotionally distraught.”
The complaint alleges that, even though Robinson, his federal probation officer, and employees of Renewal were present, they left him without any supervision.
Spencer then broke a window on the seventh floor of the building and jumped to his death, the lawsuit said.
It alleges that the defendants were aware that Spencer had a propensity to jump out of windows, and that they had a duty to keep him safe while in their custody.
The complaint includes claims for wrongful death and negligence.