Media Contact

ACLU of New Mexico, [email protected]

SANTA FE, NM – The wrongful death trial on behalf of the estate of Kesley Vial, scheduled to begin Monday, January 5, 2026, in First Judicial District Court will not proceed.

The parties in the case Youngers v. CoreCivic, Inc. are in the process of finalizing the settlement agreement.

Vial was a 23-year-old Brazilian asylum seeker who died by suicide in 2022 at the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico. The case addressed systemic failures in mental health care at the facility and CoreCivic’sextreme negligence that resulted in Vial’s tragic and preventable death.

Plaintiff representation: American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico; Benoit Legal, PLLC; Touchet Law Firm, PC; and Rachel Higgins, Attorney at Law.

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Press Release
Mar 19, 2026
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  • Immigrants’ Rights

CoreCivic Pays Settlement to Estate of 23-Year-Old Asylum Seeker Who Died in Torrance County Detention Facility

The case addressed the TCDF’s systemic failures in its mental health care and CoreCivic’s extreme negligence, which resulted in Kesley Vial’s tragic and preventable death.
Issue Areas: Immigrants’ Rights