Nevada woman wrongly imprisoned for miscarriage wins $1.6M settlement

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 18:55 · Archive

Patience Rousseau, imprisoned for manslaughter after a miscarriage, has won a $1.6 million settlement from Humboldt County, Nevada.

Patience Rousseau was 26 when she miscarried in April 2018 in Winnemucca, a rural Nevada city. A month later, officers with the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office arrested her. She was convicted under a 1911 Nevada statute prohibiting women from ending a pregnancy after the 24th week through drug use. According to the New York Post, Rousseau admitted trying home remedies including lifting heavy objects and consuming cinnamon to end an unwanted pregnancy, and later delivered a stillborn baby. She spent two years in prison starting in 2019 before her manslaughter conviction was vacated in 2021.

One of the deputies who led the investigation allegedly harboured personal animosity towards Rousseau and, according to the Washington Post, took the ashes of the miscarried fetus home with her when she later moved to Texas. As part of the settlement, the deputy was ordered to return the remains.

Rouseau's attorneys accused Humboldt County of breaking state law, violating her constitutional rights and causing emotional distress. The county initially offered $100,000 before the settlement reached $1.6 million, finalised in August. Rousseau received $1.2 million last week, with the remainder going to legal fees. She told the Nevada Independent she plans to use the money to pay off a house in South Dakota, buy her mother a car and open a store selling rare aquatic plants and animals.

Rouseau's civil rights attorney, Paola Armeni, noted the 1911 law was 'on the books before women were even allowed to vote in Nevada'. According to the New York Post, Rousseau was the only person ever convicted under this statute. 'I went through so much and so did my children, who are still facing these issues,' Rousseau said. 'It's not fair.'

How it is being reported

• Nevada mom imprisoned for miscarriage blamed on her drug use gets $1.6M payoutA once-homeless Nevada mom who spent two years in prison when her miscarriage was blamed on her heavy drug use has been awarded a life-changing $1.6 million settlement. Patience Rousseau, 34, was the only person ever convicted under an obscure 1911 state law that prohibits women from ending a pregnancy after the 24th week through...New York Post · 9 Oct, 18:45
• Woman who was sent to prison and labeled 'baby killer' after suffering miscarriage gets life-changing payout in Nevada courtPatience Rousseau served more than two years behind bars after prosecutors accused her of intentionally ending her pregnancy.Daily Mail · 9 Oct, 00:03
• Nevada woman sent to prison and labeled ‘baby killer’ after a miscarriage wins $1.6M awardPatience Rousseau was convicted under an arcane 1911 statute ‘that was on the books before women were even allowed to vote in Nevada,’ her attorney saidIndependent World · 7 Oct, 19:11

In this story: Patience Rousseau · Humboldt County · Nevada · Winnemucca · Paola Armeni

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