Alapati v. City and County of San Francisco

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedApril 1, 2022
Docket3:21-cv-04144
StatusUnknown

This text of Alapati v. City and County of San Francisco (Alapati v. City and County of San Francisco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alapati v. City and County of San Francisco, (N.D. Cal. 2022).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 10 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 11 12 ALIITASI T ALAPATI, Case No. 21-cv-04144-SI

13 Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND 14 v. DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS SECOND 15 CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN AMENDED COMPLAINT FRANCISCO, et al., 16 Re: Dkt. No. 42 Defendants. 17

19 Before the Court is defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint 20 (“SAC”). Dkt. Nos. 42 (Motion filed Feb. 1, 2022); 39 (SAC filed Jan. 18, 2022). The Court 21 previously determined that resolution of this motion would be appropriate without oral argument, 22 and thus VACATED the hearing set for April 1, 2022 pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7-1(b). Dkt. 23 No. 50. Based on a careful review of the SAC, the Motion to Dismiss, and the arguments raised in 24 25 the parties’ respective briefings, the Court will GRANT IN PART and DENY IN PART 26 defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. Plaintiff is given leave to file an amended complaint no later than 27 April 29, 2022. 1 BACKGROUND 2 The claims in the SAC stem from an approximately two-week period in March 2019, when 3 Aliitasi Alapati was incarcerated in the City and County of San Francisco’s County Jail 2 (“CJ2”). 4 The Court accepts as true the following factual allegations for purposes of the motion to dismiss. 5 6 1. Alapati’s intake and CJ2’s laundry facility 7 Alapati came into CJ2’s custody on September 9, 2018. SAC ¶ 9. The complaint does not 8 specify whether Alapati was in pretrial detention or post-conviction incarceration. At that time, 9 Alapati was taking medication for heart, asthma, and allergy conditions. Id. Alapati’s heart 10 condition involved an aortic valve replacement (“AVR”) which occurred in 2010. Id. Upon her 11 intake at CJ2, Alapati informed medical staff at CJ2 of her heart condition and AVR, which required 12 “critical attention and care” to “function properly and allow her to live.” Id. 13 In late February 2019, Alapati began working in the laundry department of CJ2. SAC ¶ 11. 14 There, Alapati encountered items contaminated with human feces, vomit, urine, and blood. Id. 15 Rather than segregating these items for a pre-rinse or sanitization, the laundry department 16 “commingled” them with the other items to be laundered. Id. The department required Alapati to 17 “wear a protective body suit while working” in the facility. Id. 18 19 2. Alapati’s progression of symptoms and limited care 20 Around March 4, 2019, Alapati began experiencing swelling in her hands and knees, which 21 she reported to defendant Nurse Joseph Williamson. SAC ¶ 12. Two days later on March 6, Alapati 22 “began to feel body aches, her complexion turned from a healthy pale brown color to yellow, and 23 her energy noticeable decreased.” Id. ¶ 13. That day, medical staff evaluated Alapati and observed 24 that she had low blood pressure, but further exams were not ordered. Id. Alapati was prescribed 25 Tylenol by defendant Nurse Christa Gallagher. Id. 26 The symptoms worsened. The following day, on March 7, 2019, Alapati’s “mobility became 27 severely impaired,” to the point where she could not raise herself up to her bunk bed. SAC ¶ 14. 1 medical staff who responded included defendant Nurse Giday Beshue. Id. Before assessing 2 Alapati’s condition, and in the presence of other deputies and nurses, Beshue grabbed her “wrist 3 with extreme force and yanked [her] up from the ground and verbally accused her of faking her 4 extreme symptoms.” Id. 5 Alapati reported to CJ2’s medical unit the next day, March 8, 2019, “because her pain 6 symptoms, including dizziness, body aches and body fatigue, continued to increase in severity.” 7 SAC ¶ 15. Defendant Nurse Evelyn Mendoza took Alapati’s blood pressure and noted that it was 8 abnormal, but prescribed only Tylenol, which Alapati “emphatically reported failed to alleviate her 9 severe pain and discomfort.” Id. 10 On March 9, 2019, Alapati received a visit from her sister, who, upon seeing Alapati, 11 “became immediately concerned about” her wellbeing and implored her to go back to the medical 12 unit. SAC ¶ 16. The following medical staff were “in charge” of Alapati’s care that day: Dr. Sona 13 Aggarwal, Nurse Thu Tran, Nurse Raphroger Gonzaga, and Nurse Karina Shannon. Id. “[D]espite 14 Alapati’s abnormal blood pressure readings, pale appearance, complaints of dizziness, weakness, 15 nausea, hand swelling, foot pain, migraine, and chest pain, and medical history of AVR,” she was 16 again prescribed Tylenol. Id. Alapati’s sister returned the following day, but Alapati’s “physical 17 pain and discomfort was so severe that she became immobile and thus unable to visit with her sister.” 18 Id. ¶ 17. Alapati continued to report her complaints to CJ2 medical staff, which included defendant 19 Nurses Rocio Babilonia, Haja Dumbuya, and Jessica Jimenez. Id. Despite Alapati’s “abnormal 20 temperature readings” and immobility, Nurses Rocio Babilonia, Haja Dumbuya, and Jessica 21 Jimenez only provided Alapati with Tylenol, a water pitcher, and ice chips for relief. Id. 22 On March 11, 2019, Alapati’s sister “pleaded” to Alapati’s defense attorney, Sylvia Nguyen, 23 to visit Alapati in CJ2 and determine the status of her medical condition. SAC ¶ 18. Meanwhile, 24 plaintiff reported complaints of “unresolved body aches and nausea…chills, experiencing sudden 25 nose bleeds, abdominal cramps and painful urination” to medical staff, including Nurses Karina 26 Shannon and Christa Gallagher. Id. Tylenol was again prescribed. Id. 27 1 3. Medical staff transfer Alapati out of general population 2 On March 12, 2019, CJ2 medical staff transferred Alapati out of general population and into 3 CJ2’s medical unit. SAC ¶ 19. There, diagnostic tests revealed an “international normalized ratio” 4 of 10.1. Id. The target ratio was between 2 and 3. Id. Alapati “continued to beg the medical staff,” 5 including Nurses Nicole Joe, Karina Shannon, Nicole Una, Joseph Williamson, Thu Tran, and Giday 6 Beshue, to send her to the hospital rather than continuing to prescribe Tylenol. Id. Medical staff 7 did not perform a physical exam, did not request, recommend, or perform diagnostic testing or 8 imaging, did not recommend or request transfer to an E.R., and did not seek the opinion of other 9 medical professionals. Id. ¶ 20. 10 Alapati’s defense attorney, Sylvia Nguyen, visited her the following afternoon, on March 11 13, 2019. SAC ¶ 22. Alapati was transported to the visit a wheelchair, had “severely discolored” 12 complexion and was bleeding from her nose. Id. Upon seeing Alapati, Nguyen “demanded” she be 13 transferred to a hospital. Nurse Beshue refused Nguyen’s request. Id. 14 Later that night on March 13, however, Alapati was transferred to Zuckerberg San Francisco 15 General Hospital, in the back seat of a sheriff’s vehicle while handcuffed. Id. 16 17 4. Hospital doctors discover the cause of Alapati’s ailments 18 Medical staff at Zuckerberg General examined Alapati and diagnosed her with e-coli and 19 sepsis infections and a compromised heart valve due to untreated infections. SAC ¶ 23. Had 20 treatment been delayed any further, the medical staff opined, “the infections would have been fatal.” 21 Id. Alapati remained in Zuckerberg General from March 13, 2019 to March 22, 2019, until she was 22 transferred to California Pacific Medical Center to undergo open heart surgery to replace her 23 compromised aortic valve. Id. ¶ 24. The replacement was “biological” rather than “mechanical,” 24 meaning Alapati would need to have the new valve replaced sooner than the original valve. Id. 25 Alapati believes she contracted the infections from the “unsanitary practices in and about 26 CJ2, including its laundry department.” SAC ¶ 25.

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Alapati v. City and County of San Francisco, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alapati-v-city-and-county-of-san-francisco-cand-2022.