d its healthcare provider failed to respond to an escalating medical emergency.

 Days go by before he gets the level of treatment he actually needs, the emergency surgery he needed,  Elmazi said.

The lawsuit also raises questions about sanitation and infection prevention inside the county jail.

 They say cleanliness is right next to godliness,  Brown said.  You're supposed to make sure that at least the environment's clean. At least that. That's the least you can do. 

Elmazi says the lawsuit is about accountability and preventing similar injuries.

 We're not here to say Dallas County Jail needs to be the next Hilton Hotel,  he said.  But there are bare minimum standards of cleanliness that the law requires. 

CBS News Texas has not independently established where Brown contracted the infection or whether earlier treatment would have prevented his paralysis.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Office has not responded to questions about the lawsuit.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who chairs the jail's sanitation and maintenance committee, confirmed officials have been briefed on the complaint, and an investigation is underway. He declined further comment, citing pending litigation.

For Brown, the consequences extend far beyond the courtroom.

 It's a hell of a transition from being independent and not being able to go to the restroom,  he said, explaining that he can no longer feel when he needs to relieve himself.

Still, the former boxer refuses to surrender hope.

Each morning, Brown stretches what he can move. In his mind, he throws punches. He imagines walking again.

 I try to imagine I'm walking and trying to force something to maybe come back,  he said.

 And they say the worst type of lie is to tell it to yourself. So I don't think it's a lie. I just tell myself one day maybe I'll get it back.