Dodd v. Wexford Medical Inc

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedApril 27, 2021
Docket3:19-cv-00299
StatusUnknown

This text of Dodd v. Wexford Medical Inc (Dodd v. Wexford Medical Inc) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dodd v. Wexford Medical Inc, (N.D. Ind. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA SOUTH BEND DIVISION

RICHARD DODD,

Plaintiff,

v. CAUSE NO. 3:19CV299-PPS/MGG

WEXFORD MEDICAL INC, et al.,

Defendants.

OPINION AND ORDER Richard Dodd, a prisoner without a lawyer, filed a motion for leave to amend along with a proposed amended complaint. ECF 59, 59-1. Dodd seeks to amend his original complaint by adding new claims and new defendants to his case. A filing by an unrepresented party “is to be liberally construed, and a pro se complaint, however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (quotation marks and citations omitted). Nevertheless, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, the court must review the merits of a prisoner complaint and dismiss it if the action is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief. In his amended complaint, Dodd states he has a rare genetic autoimmune disorder—ankylosing spondylitis—that makes him more prone to inflammatory diseases affecting his spine, ribs, hips, shoulders, and joints. ECF 59-1 at 11. He explains that one common complication of ankylosing spondylitis is iritis, an inflammation of the eyes, which makes his eyes painful and sensitive to light, and causes blurry vision. Id. Dodd states iritis requires immediate medical attention because it can cause severe

damage and injury to his eyes. Id. He asserts that ankylosing spondylitis also causes him to have severe pain throughout his body. Id. 17-19. To help him with his pain, a rheumatologist prescribed a treatment plan, which requires a monthly injection and a prescription strength nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Id. at 17. Dodd represents that Naproxen is the only effective medication that controls his pain and he has a lifetime prescription for that medication. Id. He states he was incarcerated in 1997

and his prison medical record documents his numerous bouts of iritis as well as his severe pain stemming from his condition. Id. at 11-13. Dodd first asserts that, on March 9, 2018, Dr. Andrew Liaw, one of the prison’s doctors, reduced his Naproxen prescription from two pills per day to 28 pills every 60 days. ECF 59-1 at 17. He states Dr. Liaw next discontinued his Naproxen prescription

and prescribed Mobic, which is a medication that has not been effective in controlling his pain. Id. at 17-18. Dodd asserts that Dr. Liaw then allowed the Mobic prescription to lapse even though Dr. Liaw neither examined him nor met with him to discuss his ankylosing spondylitis and pain associated with his condition. Id. at 18. Furthermore, he states that, without his medication, he experiences crippling pain to the point where he

was unable to stand up straight, walk, or even breathe, because ankylosing spondylitis makes it feel as though his “ribs are fractured in hundreds of places.” Id. On August 24, 2018, Dodd asserts he submitted a healthcare request form to the medical unit because he was having another episode of iritis. ECF 59-1 at 11. He states he wrote “Chronic Care Issue” at the top of his request to put the medical staff on notice that his condition was not new, and his medical record would provide his history along

with the proper treatment. Id. Dodd asserts that Nurse Katherin Hutchinson returned the healthcare request form to him and told him to resubmit a request without “Chronic Care” written on the form so that a co-payment could be charged. Id. at 11-12. Dodd immediately submitted a second healthcare request form and noted on the form that his eye condition needed to be addressed in a timely manner. Id. at 12. However, after he submitted his second request, he contends nothing was done and he never heard

anything from Nurse Hutchinson or the medical staff. Id. On September 5, 2018, Dodd spoke with a nurse about his iritis. ECF 59-1 at 12. The nurse made a note of his condition in his medical record and contacted the urgent care staff. Id. Because he did not receive prompt care, Dodd called his family and they, in turn, called the prison. Id. Shortly thereafter, Dodd was contacted by medical staff

and asked to fill out a healthcare request form. Id. After evaluating Dodd’s eye, Nurse Hutchinson prescribed a medication for pink eye even though his medical records documented the multiple bouts of iritis and severe pain associated with his ankylosing spondylitis. Id. About ten days later, on September 16, 2018, Dodd submitted another healthcare

request form because the condition of his eye had not improved, the medication was not helping him, and the inflammation had spread to his other eye. ECF 59-1 at 12-13. On September 18, 2018, a correctional officer, who observed the severity of Dodd’s iritis, notified the medical staff. Id. at 13. Dodd was then sent to the medical unit where Dr. James Jackson, a prison doctor, advised Nurse Dorothy M. Livers by phone to prescribe artificial tears for Dodd’s eye inflammation. Id. at 13-14. Nurse Livers gave him a bottle

of artificial tears, which ultimately did not help his eye inflammation. Id. at 14. Because his iris was beginning to turn white, Dodd called his family, who then contacted the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) office in Indianapolis to report that Dodd was not getting the medical care he needed for his iritis. ECF 59-1 at 13. The IDOC office in turn contacted Wexford of Indiana. Id. On September 20, 2018, Dodd was again taken to the medical unit where, after reviewing his medical history, the medical

staff prescribed the appropriate eye drops for his eye inflammation. Id. On September 25, 2018, Dodd had a follow-up visit with the prison’s medical staff. ECF 59-1 at 13. Dodd claims, however, at this point in time, his eye had worsened and was in bad shape because there had been such a delay in properly treating his condition. Id. The medical staff contacted Dr. Jackson, but he refused to treat Dodd. Id.

Instead, Dodd was placed on a list to see the prison’s eye doctor. Id. Several days later, on October 4, 2018, Dodd had another follow-up visit with the medical staff. ECF 59-1 at 13-14. Dodd states that his eye would no longer react to light and he was going blind. Id. at 14. He was placed on an aggressive dose of steroids and a nurse contacted Dr. Jackson by phone. Id. Dodd states that, although the nurse told Dr.

Jackson his eye would no longer react to light, Dr. Jackson still refused to walk down a flight of stairs to examine his eye and told the nurse that he could wait until after the eye doctor returned from vacation. Id. Dodd next asserts that, in October and November 2018, he sent four healthcare request forms to the medical staff and also called for a medical emergency because he

was suffering from severe pain stemming from his ankylosing spondylitis. ECF 59-1 at 18. At the time, he was not being given Naproxen and one of his monthly injections was late. Id. However, Dodd represents that the medical staff refused to treat him or even talk with him. Id. He also claims that he was told he needed to order Naproxen from the commissary without considering if he could afford to pay for it. Id. at 20. Dodd states he was also told that Wexford ordered the medication for him, but he never received it. Id.

As a final matter, Dodd states that Wexford, Dr. Jackson, and Nurse Livers have also ignored his serious medical needs by taking away his antacid medication, Pepcid, which he needs to control his heartburn. ECF 59-1 at 19-20.

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Dodd v. Wexford Medical Inc, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dodd-v-wexford-medical-inc-innd-2021.