Cherry v. Siegert

District Court, D. Idaho·Decided May 17, 2021·No. 1:19-cv-00223·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF IDAHO

STEVE ALLAN CHERRY, Case No. 1:19-cv-00223-CWD Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM DECISION AND v. ORDER

RONA SIEGERT, J. DOLAN, and JANE and JOHN DOES 1-10,

Defendants.

INTRODUCTION Before the Court is Defendants Rona Siegert and Jacque Dolan’s Motion for Summary Judgment. (Dkt. 22.) Plaintiff Steven Cherry filed a response to Defendants’ motion on December 2, 2020. (Dkt. 27.) Cherry filed also a renewed motion for an extension of time to file a response to Defendants’ motion. (Dkt. 28.) Having fully reviewed the record, the Court finds the facts and legal arguments are adequately presented in the briefs and record and that oral argument would not further aid the Court. D. Idaho Loc. Civ. R. 7.1. For the reasons set forth below, the Court will deny Plaintiff’s Renewed Motion for Extension of Time and grant Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment.1

1 All parties appearing before the Court have consented to the jurisdiction of a United States Magistrate Judge. See Dkt. 16; Fed.R.Civ.P. 72. FACTS Steven Cherry is an Idaho inmate in the custody of the Idaho Department of

Correction (“IDOC”), proceeding pro se in this action. (Dkt. 8.) On June 17, 2019, Cherry filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging violations of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution due to Defendants’ alleged deliberate indifference to his medical needs.2 He alleges that, between November of 2018 and the time of filing his complaint in June of 2019, Defendants failed to provide adequate and timely medical care for his cancer diagnosis. During that period, Defendant was

incarcerated at Eagle Pass, a Texas overflow facility. He seeks damages from Defendants Siegert and Dolan in their official and individual capacities. (Id.) Rona Siegert is a registered nurse employed by IDOC as the Health Services Director. (Dkt. 22-4 ¶ 1.) In her role as Health Services Director, Siegert oversees IDOC's delivery of contracted healthcare services to inmates, and she is the Level 3 appellate

authority for inmate medical grievances. (Id. ¶ 2.) Appellate review of inmate grievances includes addressing concerns related to inmates’ medical care and coordinating with other medical or administrative staff within IDOC or at its contracted facilities. (Dkt. 22- 3, Dolan Decl. ¶ 4.) Her duties do not include direct patient care. (Dkt. 22-4, Siegert Decl. ¶ 2.) Rather, patient care for Idaho inmates housed at contract facilities, like Eagle

Pass, is provided by the entity administering the facility. In this case, GEO Group, Inc., provided patient care administration for Idaho inmates housed at Eagle Pass. (Id. ¶3.)

2 It its Initial Review Order, the Court allowed Cherry to proceed with his medical deliberate indifference claim under the Eighth Amendment, and dismissed his First Amendment claims. (Dkt. 8.) Jacque Dolan is also a registered nurse employed by IDOC, working as Health Services Contract Monitor under Siegert’s supervision. (Dkt. 22-3 ¶1; Dkt. 22-4 ¶4.)

Dolan’s responsibilities include monitoring the medical services contract between IDOC and GEO, Inc., and serving as a Level 3 appellate authority for medical grievances filed by inmates housed at Eagle Pass. (Dkt. 22-3 ¶¶2, 3.) As an appellate authority on inmate grievances, she reviews appeals filed by inmates who have completed the Level 1 and Level 2 grievance processes and then researches and responds to an inmate’s concerns. (Id. ¶4.) Like Siegert, she does not provide direct patient care to inmates. (Id. ¶2)

In September of 2018, Cherry was transferred from a prison in Idaho to the Eagle Pass Correctional Facility in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Dkt. 3 at 2.) This facility is a privately- run facility contracted to house Idaho inmates to alleviate crowding in Idaho facilities. (Dkt. 8 at 2.) The Eagle Pass facility is operated and staffed by GEO Group. (Dkt. 22-3 ¶3.) Under the existing services contract between IDOC and GEO Group, GEO Group is

responsible for the first $2,500 of medical costs for IDOC inmates. (Id. ¶5.) Medical services exceeding that amount require pre-approval by IDOC. On November 11, 2018, Cherry discovered a golf ball-sized lump in his neck. On November 18, 2018, he was seen by Dr. Musquiz at the Eagle Pass facility. (Dkt. 3 at 3.) At this visit, Dr. Musquiz suspected the growth was cancerous, recommended an

ultrasound and later surgery, and wrote an order for an ultrasound. (Id.; Dkt. 22-5 at 10.) Cherry asserts that, at this visit, he was told IDOC was informed of his medical diagnosis and the ultrasound order, and that approval of the order would come from IDOC. (Dkt. 3 at 4.) The ultrasound was not scheduled in the following weeks and, on December 18, 2018, Cherry sent a grievance letter to Siegert describing his need for an ultrasound, his

condition, including pain, headaches, and numbness, and requesting immediate approval of the ultrasound order. (Dkt. 3-1.) Cherry claims he was advised by an IDOC deputy warden to write to Siegert, because she was the individual with authority to approve the ultrasound. (Dkt. 27 at 6.) Siegert received the letter and forwarded it to Dolan for follow-up. (Dkt. 22-4 ¶5.) Following her receipt of the letter on December 30, 2018, Dolan contacted Eagle

Pass medical staff on January 2, 2019. (Dkt. 22-3 ¶ 6; Dkt. 22-3 at 8-9.) Cherry also had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Musquiz on January 2, 2019, who wrote a second ultrasound order the same date upon being informed that it had not occurred. Eagle Pass staff informed Dolan that Cherry’s ultrasound appointment was scheduled for January 11, 2019. (Dkt. 22-3 at 8.) On January 3, 2019, Dolan advised Cherry that she had confirmed

his ultrasound appointment was scheduled, and she advised him to contact her if he was not seen. (Dkt. 22-3 ¶ 8.) The ultrasound was conducted on January 11, 2019, and Dolan received a copy of the report. (Dkt. 22-3 at 14.) Following the ultrasound, the physician at Eagle Pass referred Cherry to Dr. Lindsey for a surgical consult. In February, Cherry wrote a second letter to Dolan, alleging that the ultrasound

was unscheduled and Eagle Pass personnel had been untruthful to both him and IDOC. He stated that he had yet to receive further testing or treatment and had been denied pain medication. (Dkt. 22-3 at 22-24.) He reiterated that he had been told by Eagle Pass staff that approval of further care would come from Idaho. (Id.) Dolan did not respond to Cherry’s second letter, because she had received a copy of the ultrasound report, and she was aware he had been referred to Dr. Lindsey for a surgical consult. (Dkt. 22-3, ¶9.)

On March 12, 2019, Cherry was examined by Dr. Lindsey, who reportedly questioned why Cherry had not been seen earlier for the mass discovered four months prior. (Dkt. 27 at 8.) At this visit, Cherry was advised that surgery would be scheduled for May 21, 2019. (Dkt. 22-3 at 18-20; 22-5 at 12.) Surgery was approved by IDOC on March 20, 2019. Dolan received a copy of the radiology report as well as the referral for surgery. (Dkt. 22-3 at 14, 29.)

On May 20, 2019, Eagle Pass medical personnel contacted the hospital to confirm Cherry’s surgical appointment for May 21, 2019, but were informed that, due to an error, Cherry was not on the surgical schedule. (Dkt. 22-5 at 12.) His surgery was then rescheduled for July 23, 2019. (Id.) Cherry sent another letter to Dolan on May 31, 2019, regarding the delayed

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