The city is set to pay $28 million to settle a lawsuit with the family of a Rikers inmate who attempted suicide, according to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.

In November 2019, Nicholas Feliciano of Queens suffered severe brain damage after attempting to hang himself in his jail cell. Feliciano was hanging for nearly eight minutes, as more than six correction officers stood by without intervening, according to a Board of Correction review.

Nicholas' grandmother and guardian, Madeline Feliciano, originally filed the civil suit in November 2020.

"This settlement will just help Nicholas with his medical condition and therapies for the rest of his life. The damage is already done. Nicholas will never be the same. His future got taken away," Feliciano said in a statement through her attorneys at Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP, based in Manhattan. "Meanwhile, there are people still going through inhumane conditions and not getting the care that they need at Rikers Island."

In July 2022, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark brought felony charges against four of the guards involved for reckless endangerment and official misconduct. All four pleaded not guilty and were released without bail.

Two of the guards avoided jail time and received conditional discharges after pleading guilty to misdemeanor official misconduct in 2023. The cases against the two others charged are pending.

The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge. The city's Law Department released a statement on the settlement Saturday, saying the case was in the best interest of everyone.

"The settlement of this tragic case was in the best interest of all parties. DOC is working to ensure the safety of all on Rikers," the Law Department said.