BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A civil complaint filed April 9 in Palm Beach County accuses The GEO Group, Inc. of negligence over medical follow-up for an inmate at Moore Haven Correctional Institution, according to court records.
The case, Keith Wentz v. The GEO Group, Inc., was filed in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, under Case No. 502026CA004003XXXAMB.
The complaint was filed on behalf of plaintiff Keith Wentz by West Palm Beach law firm Thompson & Thomas, P.A. The filing identifies GEO as a Florida corporation that operates private prisons in the state, including Moore Haven Correctional Institution, and says the company maintains its principal office in Palm Beach County. No defense law firm was listed in the complaint.
According to the complaint, Wentz was incarcerated at Moore Haven Correctional Institution and, in November 2024, developed lower back pain. The filing says he was sent to Dr. Christopher Busch, D.O., for evaluation. On Nov. 19, 2024, Busch examined him, diagnosed lumbar degenerative disc disease and focal low back pain, and recommended that Wentz be referred to pain management for treatment.
The lawsuit claims that recommendation was communicated to GEO’s medical staff at that time, but alleges that as of the filing date, the company had not authorized, scheduled, or coordinated the pain management care.
Wentz alleges GEO had control over the facility’s day-to-day management and operation and owed a duty to administratively follow up on medical recommendations made by in-house personnel and outside specialists engaged to evaluate and treat inmates. The complaint says Moore Haven Correctional Institution does not have a pain management specialist on site and does not offer pain management services at the facility.
Because of that, the lawsuit claims GEO was required to take administrative steps to authorize, coordinate, and schedule those services with an outside specialist when such care was recommended. The complaint says that once Wentz received the outside consultation in November 2024, GEO, through its agents or employees, was aware of the recommendation and had a duty to act on it in a timely manner.
The filing also states that Wentz, as an inmate, was not permitted to authorize, coordinate, or schedule that treatment himself. It alleges GEO breached its duty of care by failing to administratively authorize, coordinate, and schedule the recommended pain management services in a timely fashion.
As a result, the complaint claims Wentz suffered injury to his body, aggravation of a prior condition, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. It further alleges those injuries are permanent or continuing and that he will incur damages in the future.
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $50,000, excluding interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees, and demands a jury trial. The allegations in the complaint are claims made by the plaintiff and have not been proven in court.
The original complaint, Keith Wentz v. The GEO Group, Inc., Case No. 502026CA004003XXXAMB, as filed 04/09/2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
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