Davis v. Schmidt

57 F.R.D. 37, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11111
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedNovember 16, 1972
DocketNo. 71-C-458
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 57 F.R.D. 37 (Davis v. Schmidt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Schmidt, 57 F.R.D. 37, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11111 (W.D. Wis. 1972).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JAMES E. DOYLE, District Judge.

This is a civil action for monetary and injunctive relief. Plaintiff has been granted leave to proceed in forma pau-peris. Jurisdiction is claimed under 28 U.S.C. § 1343(3) and 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

In his complaint plaintiff alleges that he is presently confined in the Wisconsin State Prison; that in May, 1971, plaintiff requested to see Dr. Nemeth, the Prison staff psychiatrist; that as a result of this request, plaintiff was placed in “punishment status” by Sergeant Hoeft; that because he is unable to cope with the “silent system” and with isolation, plaintiff has attempted suicide on two occasions, once on or about July 20, 1971, and once on or about September 13, 1971; that plaintiff has injured knees; that defendants have refused to treat plaintiff’s knees; that on Septem[39]*39ber 12, 1971, plaintiff became involved in a dispute with an officer in the Segregation Building because the officer refused to call a captain and because plaintiff was violating the “silent system” by calling for a doctor; that plaintiff created “a disturbance” in order to induce the officer to call a captain; that plaintiff was then placed in a detention cell; that “by over-running his toilet” plaintiff flooded this cell; that defendant Hilt and other guards then entered plaintiff’s cell, “assaulted plaintiff, threw him violently to the floor”, and held him down while an “inmate nurse” administered a “knock-out drug” to plaintiff; that defendants have refused to allow plaintiff to possess or read the Bible on the ground that plaintiff might harm himself with it; and that defendants have refused to allow plaintiff a pencil and paper with which to correspond with attorneys and courts.

Defendants have moved for summary judgment. In support of this motion defendants have submitted an affidavit by R. L. Gray, who deposes that he is Warden of the Wisconsin State Prison; that he has control over Prison records; that he knows of his own personal knowledge that the photocopies of prison records attached to his affidavit are identical to the original records on file in the Prison; and that the records were made by employees of the Prison in the regular course of business. Among the records attached to the affidavit are six conduct reports prepared by guards concerning plaintiff. The June 16, 1971, report deals with an incident in a dining hall and appears to be irrelevant. The July 24, 1971, report describes an incident in which plaintiff is alleged to have burned his Bible. The four reports dealing with incidents on September 11 and 12, 1971, describe an alleged disturbance created by plaintiff, efforts by plaintiff to flood his cell and to commit suicide, and the administration of a drug to plaintiff.

On the basis of Braeey v. Herringa, 466 F.2d 702 (7th Cir. 1972), I have determined that these six conduct reports are inadmissible evidence. Braeey involved an action for damages and in-junctive relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against prison guards who had allegedly chained plaintiff to a bed and beaten him. The trial court determined that the conduct reports prepared by the guards were admissible in evidence under the business records exception to the hearsay rule. On the basis of these un-controverted reports the court found that plaintiff had not been beaten and granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment. The Seventh Circuit reversed, holding that the guards’ conduct reports lacked the reliability necessary for records qualifying for the business records rule:

“That prison guards may be held accountable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for physical beatings of prisoners deprivation of medical care, or deprivation of hygienic conditions, has been established for enough years that it can safely be assumed at least some guards write their reports on such occurrences with that possibility in mind.” (Footnotes omitted).

The conduct reports in question here dealt with incidents in which the guards were potentially subject to liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. For the reasons given in Braeey I hold that these reports are not of sufficient reliability to qualify for the business records exception to the hearsay rule.

The remaining documents which accompany defendants’ affidavit consist of reports by a psychiatrist and certain doctors, plaintiff’s “Outpatient Record”, presumably from the Prison hospital, plaintiff’s “Daily Progress Report” from the Prison hospital, and two “X-Ray Interpretations.” I have concluded that, except for certain hearsay passages in these reports, these documents are admissible as business records. If this [40]*40action were for negligent medical practice, the records might be unreliable. However, the issue in the present case is not the quality of psychiatric and medical attention afforded plaintiff but the existence of such attention.

Taken together these records show that Dr. Nemeth, the staff psychiatrist, visited plaintiff seven times between July 27 and October 19, 1971; that on September 9, 1971, Dr. Nemeth’s diagnosis was “Anxiety Reaction, mild degree;” that on that day he prescribed “Mellaril Tablet, 50 mg twice a day” and placed plaintiff’s name on a waiting list for group therapy; that on October 19 plaintiff requested another tranquilizer and that Dr. Nemeth prescribed Sparine; that twice plaintiff was placed in observation status and twice discharged from that status; that plaintiff was examined by other doctors seven times between April 8 and November 10, 1971; that three of these examinations concerned plaintiff’s knees; that the examining doctors found nothing wrong with his knees; that the doctors prescribed Butazolidin and exercise; that plaintiff’s requests for X rays were refused until November 7, 1971, when X rays were taken; and that the X rays revealed that plaintiff’s knees were normal except for “a slight narrowing of the medial half of the joint space” of the left knee.

In opposition to the motion for summary judgment plaintiff has submitted affidavits by Thomas R. Murata and Ernest R. Rodriguez, two verified briefs, and his verified complaint. In addition to the allegations in the complaint, set forth earlier, these materials show that plaintiff evidently does not dispute that he received the medical and psychiatric treatment shown by defendants’ records; that he was deprived of the Bible, of writing instruments, and of paper while he was in observation status; that on July 24 and December 22, 1971, plaintiff started fires in his cell; and that plaintiff has not been admitted to group therapy.

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Related

Lock v. Jenkins
464 F. Supp. 541 (N.D. Indiana, 1978)
Pinon v. State of Wisconsin
368 F. Supp. 608 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 F.R.D. 37, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-schmidt-wiwd-1972.