A family member of an inmate that died while at CoreCivic's Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) has filed a wrongful death suit against the prison.

According to court documents, Don McCann has filed a suit alleging that his brother, 36-year-old James McCann, was denied access to basic medical care.

The lawsuit says James McCann was suffering from severe chest pains and could not breathe or move on May 6, 2019 and was evaluated by NEOCC's medical staff.

Court documents say a doctor's appointment was scheduled for him on May 10 but for reasons that are unknown, he did not go to the appointment.

A letter from another inmate sent to McCann's family on May 11 said that he was still in severe pain and had asked an on-duty officer to send him back to the medical pod.

The officer allegedly denied the request and McCann was found dead in his cell the next day. The Mahoning County Coroner's Office ruled the cause of death as "acute pneumonia", which is not usually fatal if treated with basic medical care.

The lawsuit argues that McCann's death could have been prevented if he was given access to medical care.

Court documents say no one at NEOCC has been terminated or disciplined for his death.

21 News reached out to CoreCivic about the lawsuit and received this statement from the company:

"While we can't speak to the specifics of active litigation and privacy laws prevent us from disclosing information about medical treatment, CoreCivic is committed to providing high-quality healthcare to those entrusted to our care."

CoreCivic also recently lost its contract with the U.S. Marshals.