Lawsuit claims Illinois jail denied man HIV drugs

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) – A Chicago man has filed a lawsuit claiming an Illinois jail prevented him from taking his prescribed HIV medications for a week, harming his health and violating his rights.

Arick (AYR’-ik) Buckles filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court in Peoria. He says he asked for his medications repeatedly while in the Bureau County jail in Princeton.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney John Knight says the county was more concerned about the cost of providing Buckles’ HIV drugs than about his health.

Knight says he’s been waiting a year for a response from Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson on the matter. Thompson hasn’t returned a phone call seeking comment from The Associated Press.

The lawsuit claims unspecified damages for Buckles’ immediate symptoms including vomiting and his mental and emotional distress.