Costello v. Wainwright

387 F. Supp. 324, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12789
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 10, 1973
Docket72-94-Civ-J-S and 72-109-Civ-J-S
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 387 F. Supp. 324 (Costello v. Wainwright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Costello v. Wainwright, 387 F. Supp. 324, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12789 (M.D. Fla. 1973).

Opinion

ORDER

CHARLES R. SCOTT, District Judge.

The Court has determined that it will be in the best interest of all parties and *325 of justice to appoint an expert special master pursuant to the provisions of Rule 53 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The purpose of such appointment would be to aid the Court in evaluating the quality of medical services and general health care available to the class plaintiffs, inmates committed to the custody of the Florida Division of Corrections, and in evaluating what if any, improvements should be made. Because this area of study is highly technical and involves medical knowledge beyond the expertise of the Court, the assistance of an expert special master who possesses the requisite medical capabilities is necessary.

The legal justification for the issuance of a pendente lite order requiring the defendants to participate in the conduct of a court-directed survey is apparent. There is no need to establish the existence of constitutional deprivations on the part of defendants prior to issuing pendente lite orders which may require defendants to take affirmative action. The only prerequisite to the issuance of such pendente lite orders is a “prima facie showing [by plaintiffs] sufficient to demonstrate a likelihood of success at trial”. Carter v. West Feliciana School Board, 396 U.S. 290, 292, 90 S.Ct. 608, 609, 24 L.Ed.2d 477 (1970) (Harlan, J., concurring). In that case, upon a prima facie showing that defendant school districts had been operating dual school systems based on race, those defendants were required, pendente lite, United States v. The State of Mississippi, Civil Action No. 4706 (S.D.Miss., July 9, 1970). See, United States v. Texas Education Agency, 431 F.2d 1313 (5th Cir. 1970) (per curiam); United States v. State of Mississippi, Civil Action No. WC70-36K (N.D.Miss., July 9, 1970); United States v. Texas Education Agency, Civil Action No. H-70CA-80 (W.D.Texas, August 7, 1970).

to collaborate [with the United States] in preparing plans for the immediate conversion to unitary, nondistricminatory school systems . [to] request the United States Office of Education to furnish technical assistance in formulating such plans and [to] provide the Office of Education such information as may be necessary for the formulation of such plans, including bus route maps, pupil locator maps, and school capacities and enrolments.

In this case plaintiffs have made a sufficient prima facie showing to demonstrate a likelihood of success at trial. Doctor Kenneth B. Babcock, medical expert retained by the defendants, has advised this Court of the present inadequacies of the Florida prison medical system. Furthermore, Mr. Louie L. Wainwright, Director of the Florida Division of Corrections, has, without qualification, also advised this Court that the Division of Corrections is not providing adequate medical care and services to the prisoners under its jurisdiction.

A complete medical survey will develop the facts which are necessary to enable the Court to rule on the substantive issues before it. Furthermore, the survey will enable the Court to structure the necessary and appropriate relief, if any.

Doctor Kenneth B. Babcock of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has, at the request of the State of Florida, conducted surveys of the state prison system medical facilities. The appointment of Doctor Babcock as the party to direct the instant survey is not objectionable to any of the parties to this litigation. As a witness before the Court at an earlier stage of the proceedings in this case, Doctor Babcock has demonstrated his medical qualifications, experience and familiarity with the Florida prison medical system. He has been established as uniquely equipped to supervise such a ■survey.

The medical hospital factor is only one element of the over-all health picture in the Florida state prison system. Other disciplines which should properly be considered in any comprehensive survey of *326 the full spectrum of health care must include general health, sanitation and safety, sufficiency of psychiatric services, dental needs, dietetics, pharmaceutical control, medical record keeping and facilities for physical fitness. In addition, the following areas should properly be reviewed in the desired evaluation survey; clinical nursing services, medical technician programs, laboratory and x-ray technology facilities, preventive medicine programs such as scheduled physical examinations and immunizations, and general prison hospital administration.

The composition of a minimum survey team to assist Doctor Babcock in order to accomplish the Court’s purpose should include:

1. A full-time Prison Hospital Administrator. The United States has offered the services of Doctor Joseph Alderete, United States Public Health Service, Medical Director and the Chief Medical Officer of the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta, Georgia. He is a medical doctor and a psychiatrist, as well as a prison hospital administrator.
2. A Chief Medical Technical Assistant. The United States has offered the services of Mr. Mark Thompson, Hospital Administrative Officer and Chief Medical Technician, Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee, Florida.
3. A dentist agreeable to all parties obtained from the Florida Bureau of Dental Health, Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
4. A sanitarian agreeable to all parties obtained from the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

Doctor Babcock has advised the Court that a liaison officer from the Division of Corrections would be of assistance in coordinating his survey visits to the institutions and in providing source material that would expedite the survey report. The Division of Corrections has selected Mr. James Ball, Deputy Director for Personnel, Division of Corrections, to provide these services. Mr. Ball is agreeable to Doctor Babcock and to the Court to fill this position.

One obstacle to the appointment of this survey team which has now been surmounted is the question of where the funds for paying its members for their services would derive. Doctor Joseph Alderete, prison hospital administrator, and Mr. Mark Thompson, chief medical technical assistant, would presumably remain in the employ of the United States government while on the survey team. Mr. Ball, as liaison officer, the dentist and the sanitarian would presumably remain in the employ of the State of Florida while on the survey team.

On June 13, 1973, the Court received a letter o.n the subject of funding the survey team from Mr. John P. J. Dussich, Criminal Justice Planner for the Governor’s Council on Criminal Justice. The letter reports that $10,000.00 has been allocated by the Governor’s Council on Criminal Justice for funding the instant medical services survey.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

TransAmerican Natural Gas Corp. v. Mancias
877 S.W.2d 840 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1994)
Black v. Rouse
587 So. 2d 1359 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1991)
United States v. Conservation Chemical Co.
106 F.R.D. 210 (W.D. Missouri, 1985)
New York State Ass'n for Retarded Children, Inc. v. Carey
551 F. Supp. 1165 (E.D. New York, 1982)
Ruiz v. Estelle
503 F. Supp. 1265 (S.D. Texas, 1980)
Barnes v. Gibson
14 V.I. 345 (Virgin Islands, 1977)
Miller v. Carson
401 F. Supp. 835 (M.D. Florida, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
387 F. Supp. 324, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12789, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/costello-v-wainwright-flmd-1973.