Beitman v. Correct Care Solutions

CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedMarch 18, 2020
Docket2:17-cv-03829
StatusUnknown

This text of Beitman v. Correct Care Solutions (Beitman v. Correct Care Solutions) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beitman v. Correct Care Solutions, (D. Ariz. 2020).

Opinion

1 WO JDN 2 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 8 9 Michael Lee Beitman, No. CV 17-03829-PHX-JAT (DMF) 10 Plaintiff, 11 v. ORDER 12 Correct Care Solutions, et al., 13 Defendants. 14

15 16 Plaintiff Michael Lee Beitman,1 who is confined in the Arizona State Prison 17 Complex-Florence, South Unit, brought this pro se civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. 18 § 1983 against Correct Care Solutions (CCS), CCS employee Dr. Martin Gruenberg, 19 Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) Director Charles Ryan, and Corizon Health 20 Inc. (Doc. 7.)2 Before the Court is the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by CCS and 21 Dr. Gruenberg, which Ryan and Corizon joined. (Docs. 103, 140.)3 The Court will deny 22 the Motion for Summary Judgment. 23 1 The case caption reads “Michael Lee Beitman” as that is how Beitman listed his 24 name in the original complaint. (Doc. 1). Apparently, Beitman’s name is “Lee Michael Beitman.” (Doc. 7-1 at 10.) Beitman must file a motion requesting to amend the case 25 caption if he would like the caption to list his correct name. 26 2 CCS is the private medical provider contracted to provide medical services at the Central Arizona Correctional Facility, a private prison in Florence, Arizona that is 27 operated by the GEO Group. (Doc. 104 ¶ 2; Doc. 128 ¶ 5.) Corizon is the private medical provider formerly contracted to provide medical services at ADC facilities. 28 3 Upon the filing of Defendants’ Motion, the Court issued an order with the notice required under Rand v. Rowland, 154 F.3d 952, 962 (9th Cir. 1989) (en banc), which 1 I. BACKGROUND 2 Beitman alleges that on February 3, 2015, he was assaulted by other prisoners and 3 suffered a concussion and fractures to his face and ribs. (Doc. 7-1 at 2 ¶¶ 1–2.) Beitman 4 claims that Dr. Gruenberg refused to send him to the hospital for treatment, and, although 5 x-rays were ultimately taken, Beitman was told there were no fractures despite Beitman’s 6 claims that his bones “would undue and grind.” (Id. at 2–3 ¶¶ 5, 8, 10, 19.) Beitman states 7 that a year later, on February 1, 2016, he was assaulted at a different facility, and his right 8 cheekbone and jaw were fractured. (Id. at 5 ¶ 24.) Beitman claims that he again did not 9 receive specialist treatment or proper follow-up care. (Id. ¶¶ 27–29.) Beitman was then 10 transferred to the Eyman Complex, where he filed a grievance regarding his claims about 11 the lack of treatment, but he was denied any further medical treatment. (Id. at 5–6 ¶¶ 30, 12 32, 34.) Beitman sued for declaratory relief, damages, and injunctive relief in the form of 13 medical treatment to repair damage to his face. (Doc. 7 at 7.) 14 Upon screening, the Court determined that Beitman sufficiently stated Eighth 15 Amendment claims against Dr. Gruenberg, CCS, Ryan, and Corizon for failure to treat 16 Beitman’s injuries, failure to provide follow-up care, and failure to act to remedy the lack 17 of treatment. (Doc. 8.)4 18 Dr. Gruenberg and CCS filed a Motion for Summary Judgment arguing that 19 Beitman cannot show he suffered any fractures in the February 3, 2015 altercation and, 20 because there were no fractures, neither Dr. Gruenberg nor CCS can be liable for failing 21 to treat non-existent conditions. (Doc. 103 at 4.) They further argue that Dr. Gruenberg 22 saw Beitman and sent him for x-rays, and thereafter relied on the x-ray results; thus, there 23 informed Beitman of the summary judgment requirements under Federal Rule of Civil 24 Procedure 56. (Doc. 109.)

25 4 The Court recognizes a claim against Ryan in his individual capacity as a supervisor as well as a claim against Ryan in his official capacity as Director of the ADC 26 because Beitman is seeking injunctive relief in the form of “medical treatment to re- fracture and repair the damage to [Beitman]’s face.” (Doc. 7 at 6–7); see Will v. Mich. 27 Dep’t of State Police, 491 U.S. 58, 71 (1989) (holding that state officials can be sued in their official capacity for injunctive relief); Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 31-201.01(D) 28 (providing the ADC Director bears ultimate responsibility for the provision of medical care for Arizona prisoners). 1 was no failure to respond to a medical need sufficient to constitute deliberate 2 indifference. (Id. at 4–5.) Ryan and Corizon joined the Motion for Summary Judgment. 3 (Doc. 131; Doc. 140.)5 4 II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD 5 A court must grant summary judgment “if the movant shows that there is no 6 genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter 7 of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322–23 8 (1986). The movant bears the initial responsibility of presenting the basis for its motion 9 and identifying those portions of the record, together with affidavits, if any, that it 10 believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 11 323. 12 If the movant fails to carry its initial burden of production, the nonmovant need 13 not produce anything. Nissan Fire & Marine Ins. v. Fritz Co., 210 F.3d 1099, 1102–03 14 (9th Cir. 2000). But if the movant meets its initial responsibility, the burden then shifts to 15 the nonmovant to demonstrate the existence of a factual dispute and that the fact in 16 contention is material, i.e., a fact that might affect the outcome of the suit under the 17 governing law, and that the dispute is genuine, i.e., the evidence is such that a reasonable 18 jury could return a verdict for the nonmovant. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 19 242, 249–51 (1986); see Triton Energy Corp. v. Square D. Co., 68 F.3d 1216, 1221 (9th 20 Cir. 1995). The nonmovant need not establish a material issue of fact conclusively in its 21 favor, First Nat’l Bank of Ariz. v. Cities Serv. Co., 391 U.S. 253, 288–89 (1968); 22 however, it must “come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue 23 for trial.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986) 24 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); see Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1). 25 26

27 5 Ryan and Corizon failed to file a summary judgment motion, and the Court denied their request to file a summary judgment motion three months after the deadline. 28 (Docs. 131, 140.) But the Court granted Ryan and Corizon leave to join CCS and Gruenberg’s Motion for Summary Judgment. (Doc. 140.) 1 At summary judgment, the judge’s function is not to weigh the evidence and 2 determine the truth but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial. Anderson, 3 477 U.S. at 249. The court does not make credibility determinations on summary 4 judgment, and it must draw all inferences in the nonmovant’s favor. Id. at 255; 5 Soremekun v. Thrifty Payless, Inc., 509 F.3d 978, 984 (9th Cir. 2007).

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Bluebook (online)
Beitman v. Correct Care Solutions, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beitman-v-correct-care-solutions-azd-2020.