Inmate with Celiac Disease Wins $630,000 After Jail Denies Gluten-Free Food

Celiac.com 01/08/2026 - Celiac disease is not a preference. It is an autoimmune disorder that requires total avoidance of gluten to prevent severe illness and long-term harm. Yet for years, people with celiac disease have reported that institutions—from schools to hospitals to correctional facilities—often fail to understand or accommodate this medical necessity. A recent case in Washington State has now pushed this issue into the national spotlight.

In September 2025, former inmate Gaven Picciano reached a $630,500 settlement with Clark County, Washington after enduring three weeks in jail without access to safe meals. His experience, which resulted in collapse, hospitalization, and long-lasting trauma, is now being viewed as both a legal milestone and a warning to institutions that fail to meet the basic medical needs of people with celiac disease or food allergies.

The Background: A Basic Need Ignored

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When Picciano was booked into the Clark County Jail in January 2020 on misdemeanor charges, he followed medical procedure and reported his celiac disease. He requested a gluten-free diet and completed the required forms to inform staff of his condition.

But according to his lawsuit, those documents made little difference. For days at a time, Picciano was given almost nothing he could safely eat—sometimes only a banana or a few vegetables. Because gluten triggers an immediate and damaging immune response, he couldn’t eat the meals provided to other inmates without risking severe illness.

As the days passed, the consequences grew dire. He became dizzy, nauseated, and weak. He lost weight. He experienced vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and the unmistakable feeling that his body was shutting down from lack of safe nutrition.

After 12 days, he was given a meal that jail staff told him was gluten-free. It was not. He collapsed shortly afterward and was declared “code blue,” the emergency designation for people at risk of dying. He was rushed to a hospital for emergency care.

Hospital Instructions Ignored

Following his hospitalization, doctors explicitly directed the Clark County Jail to provide Picciano with gluten-free meals. According to the lawsuit, even this medical order went unheeded. He was given food containing gluten—including a hot dog in a wheat bun, a muffin, and beef stew thickened with flour.

Picciano later told his legal team that he genuinely feared he would die before anyone intervened. He continued to grow weaker until he made bail on February 20, 2020—21 days after entering the jail.

By then, the damage was already done. He was traumatized, malnourished, and stunned that a documented medical condition had been ignored for so long.

The Legal Case and Settlement

With the help of civil rights attorneys Mary Vargas and Charles Weiner, along with the Washington Civil & Disability Advocate, Picciano filed a federal lawsuit in November 2020. The case argued that the jail violated his constitutional rights by failing to provide adequate nutrition and ignoring medical needs.

After years of preparation, the case was set to go to trial in late 2025—but Clark County settled just before proceedings began. The settlement of $630,500 reflects not only the physical harm done but also the emotional and constitutional issues raised.

Attorney Vargas described the result as deeply validating for her client: “When you are afraid you’re going to die and have no power to stop it, knowing that what happened to you mattered is huge.”

Why This Case Matters Legally

This settlement is now seen as a major precedent for anyone with a medically necessary diet—including celiac disease, food allergies, eosinophilic disorders, and other medically mandated restrictions. Under the United States Constitution, people who are detained or incarcerated retain the right to basic care. That includes safe food.

Yet across the country, similar complaints have emerged: inmates reporting illness, hunger, or even death when institutions fail to provide medically safe meals. Vargas has worked on other cases, including one involving the death of a young man from anaphylaxis in an Arizona jail. She notes that many facilities still have not updated their policies despite previous tragedies.

At minimum, she says, institutions should immediately provide medically safe meals when someone reports a diet-related condition. Waiting for medical records or extended reviews puts lives at risk. “Once someone is in custody, it is on the system to protect them and to feed them safely,” she explains.

A Systemic Problem in Correctional Settings

Picciano’s case also highlights a broader issue: jails and prisons are often ill-equipped—or unwilling—to meet dietary medical needs. Some facilities rely on outdated menus, improper training, or harmful skepticism toward inmate health concerns. Others lack separate preparation areas or do not screen for cross-contact.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act requires accommodations, enforcement has been inconsistent. Lawsuits are often the only way to force change.

With a settlement of this size, many advocates hope correctional facilities across the country will reevaluate their procedures, train staff appropriately, and implement systems to ensure safe diets for inmates who depend on them.

What This Means for People with Celiac Disease

For people living with celiac disease or severe gluten sensitivity, whether incarcerated or not, Picciano’s case has wide-ranging implications:

• Recognition of Celiac Disease as a Serious Disability: The settlement reinforces that celiac disease is medically significant and requires strict gluten avoidance—not as a preference, but as a necessity.
• Legal Precedent for Institutions: Schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and shelters may now face more pressure to accommodate gluten-free diets correctly and consistently.
• Awareness of Medical Risk: The physical collapse, severe symptoms, and emergency hospitalization illustrate just how quickly untreated celiac disease can escalate when gluten-free meals are not available.
• Potential for Future Policy Changes: Advocates hope this case will encourage systemic reform in correctional facilities, including mandatory training and clear gluten-free protocols.
• Empowerment for Patients: People with celiac disease may feel more confident asserting their dietary needs in institutional settings, knowing the law is increasingly on their side.

A Human Story Behind the Settlement

Beyond the headlines, this case is also about a young man who suffered deeply. During his 21 days in jail, Picciano feared starvation, organ shutdown, and death—while having no control over the food provided to him. When he finally left the jail, he was physically depleted but determined to prevent the same treatment from happening to others.

According to his legal team, the settlement offered something more than compensation: it offered him a voice, validation, and hope that his struggle will spark long-overdue change.

Conclusion: A Turning Point for Celiac Safety and Awareness

This case could mark a turning point in how institutions understand and handle celiac disease. The Clark County settlement sends a clear message: failing to provide safe, medically appropriate food is not just negligence—it is a violation of basic human rights.

For people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, this outcome offers hope that their needs will be taken more seriously in schools, workplaces, hospitals, and especially in correctional environments. It also reinforces a simple truth: a gluten-free diet is more than a dietary preference. It is a lifesaving medical requirement.

Read more at: allergicliving.com