Hale v. Shinn

CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedJanuary 31, 2023
Docket4:20-cv-00558
StatusUnknown

This text of Hale v. Shinn (Hale v. Shinn) 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
Hale v. Shinn, (D. Ariz. 2023).

Opinion

1 WO 2 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

9 Kilian Gregoire Hale, No. CV-20-00558-TUC-JCH

10 Plaintiff, ORDER

11 v.

12 David Shinn, et al.,

13 Defendants. 14 15 Before the Court are two motions by pro se Plaintiff Hale. The first is a "Motion to 16 Extend Plaintiff's Response to Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment," Doc. 95, 17 which the Court previously construed as a motion to stay summary judgment under Rule 18 56(d). Doc. 96. The second is a "Motion for Assistance in Distribution," requesting the 19 Clerk of the Court to file Plaintiff's Response to Defendants’ Motion for Summary 20 Judgment. Doc. 99. For the reasons below, the Court will deny Plaintiff's Motion to Stay 21 Summary Judgment (Doc. 95), deny as moot Plaintiff's Motion for Assistance (Doc. 99), 22 and grant Plaintiff leave to amend his Response no later than March 3, 2023. 23 I. Background 24 The Court recounts the following detailed procedural background because it shows 25 Plaintiff continued to allege wrongful exposure to COVID-19 after the Court's Screening 26 Order dismissed all claims based on that theory. Plaintiff had ample opportunity to amend 27 his Complaint or seek clarification of his remaining claims. The Court lays out this history, 28 clarifies it to the extent necessary, and uses it to resolve Plaintiff's pending motions. 1 A. Plaintiff's Complaint alleged wrongful exposure to COVID-19 and denial of adequate care for Plaintiff's COVID-19 symptoms. 2 In July 2021, Plaintiff filed his Second Amended Complaint. Doc. 19. The 3 Complaint alleged two basic theories: (1) Plaintiff was wrongfully exposed to COVID-19 4 by being transferred to a unit in quarantine lockdown due to a COVID-19 outbreak, see 5 Doc. 19 at 4–6, 10–14; and (2) after Plaintiff contracted COVID-19, his symptoms were 6 inadequately treated by Defendants Warren and Ferguson, see Doc. 19 at 6–9, 14–15. 7 These two theories were alleged to support claims for relief under the Eighth Amendment 8 (Count 1), Fourteenth Amendment (Count 2), and Fifth Amendment (Count 3). Doc. 19 at 9 4, 17, 18. Plaintiff's three claims for relief were alleged against nine defendants: Warren (a 10 Centurion Nurse) and Ferguson (a Centurion Facility Health Administrator) as well as 11 Wheeler (Centurion’s CEO), Pacheco (the Warden), Martinez (the Deputy Warden), 12 Shinn (the Arizona Corrections Department Director), Brnovich (the Arizona Attorney 13 General), and correctional officers John Does #1 and #2. Doc. 19 at 1–2. Plaintiff's two 14 theories, three counts, and nine defendants were presented over fifteen handwritten, single- 15 spaced pages. Doc. 19 at 4–18. 16 B. The Court's Screening Order dismissed all claims and defendants except 17 the denial-of-care claims against Defendants Warren and Ferguson. 18 Two months later, the Court issued a screening order dismissing all claims and 19 defendants except for Plaintiff's denial of medical care claims against Defendants Warren 20 and Ferguson. Doc. 21. The Screening Order distilled the following facts connected to 21 Defendants Warren and Ferguson, all of which concern the treatment of Plaintiff's COVID- 22 19 symptoms and not his exposure to COVID-19: 23 On August 26, 2020 [after testing positive for COVID-19], Plaintiff 24 submitted a Health Needs Request (HNR), and was seen for an E.K.G. [Doc. 19 at 6.] Plaintiff was prescribed Tylenol for his headaches, but "never saw 25 the provider, Defendant N.P. Alice Warren." Id. On September 3, 2020, 26 Plaintiff was assigned to a "hard labor" job in the kitchen, which made his symptoms worse. Id. On September 10, 2020, Plaintiff submitted another 27 HNR, and was told that he would be scheduled to see "the provider" 28 (presumably, Defendant Warren). Id. at 7. A nurse told Plaintiff that she would ask Warren to prescribe Excedrin for Plaintiff's headaches in the 1 meantime. Plaintiff never received any Excedrin. Id. 2 On September 12, 2020, Plaintiff submitted an informal complaint resolution, and, on October 6, 2020, he submitted a medical grievance to 3 Defendant Ferguson regarding the lack of any visit with Defendant Warren, 4 the failure to receive the Excedrin, and his "increasing serious COVID- related health problems." Id. On October 9, 2020, Plaintiff was seen by 5 Warren. (Doc. 19 at 7.3) Plaintiff told her Tylenol did not work, his 6 symptoms were getting worse, and asked to be referred to a virologist. Warren "dismissed Plaintiff's serious medical needs as being allergies." Id. 7 Plaintiff then asked for Excedrin for his headaches, but Warren "suggested 8 that Plaintiff should purchase ibuprofen from the store if the Tylenol did not help." Id. Plaintiff told Warren that he was indigent and unable to purchase 9 ibuprofen, and, in any event, that he was not supposed to take ibuprofen "due 10 to kidney problems." Id. Plaintiff then "began another round of HNRs," but the only response he 11 received from Ferguson was to "submit an HNR." Id. at 8. After "several 12 months went by without any medical care or treatment," Plaintiff filed several more grievances and HNRs, but was not seen by the provider again 13 or provided any treatment for his symptoms. Id. Plaintiff alleges that the only 14 response to his grievances were from Ferguson directing him to "submit an HNR." Id. 15 Doc. 21 at 4–5. 16 The Screening Order explained that although Plaintiff alleged medical care claims 17 under three constitutional amendments, "his medical care claim arises [only] under the 18 Eighth Amendment." Doc. 21 at 5. The Screening Order also explained the relevant law, 19 in particular that "a § 1983 medical claim . . . must show (1) a 'serious medical need' by 20 demonstrating that failure to treat the condition could result in further significant injury 21 . . . and (2) the defendant's response was deliberately indifferent." Doc. 21 at 5–6 (citing 22 Jett v. Penner, 439 F.3d 1091, 1096 (9th Cir. 2006) (emphasis added)). The Screening 23 Order then applied this law to Defendants Brnovich, Shinn, Pacheco, Martinez, Wheeler, 24 and John Does # 1 and #2. Doc. 21 at 7–9. 25 In its analysis, the Screening Order considered Plaintiff's theory of wrongful 26 exposure to COVID-19 several times. Doc. 21 at 7:20–27, 8:4–5, 8:9–13, 9:5–7. Each 27 time—and mindful of the need to construe pro se pleadings liberally—the Screening Order 28 concluded that Plaintiff's exposure allegations failed to state a claim because they were 1 "vague and conclusory." Id. For those reasons, among others, the Screening Order 2 dismissed Counts 2 and 3, and all defendants except Warren and Ferguson. Doc. 21 at 10. 3 Regrettably, the Screening Order did not explicitly state that Plaintiff's exposure theory 4 also failed to state a claim with respect to Defendants Warren and Ferguson—though that 5 was strongly implied.1 6 C. The Court denied Plaintiff's subsequent Motion for Reconsideration, which reasserted Plaintiff's exposure theory of liability, and Plaintiff did not seek 7 to amend his Complaint. 8 In January 2022, the Court denied Plaintiff’s motion to reconsider the Court's 9 Screening Order. Doc. 34 at 10. In his motion for reconsideration, Plaintiff argued among 10 other things that the Court had "overlooked or misinterpreted" several facts in the 11 Complaint. Doc. 28 at 3. These facts all concerned Plaintiff's theory that he was wrongfully 12 exposed to COVID-19. Doc. 28 at 3–8. The Court denied Plaintiff's motion, finding that 13 he "fails to cite new facts or legal authority[.]" Doc. 34 at 4.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Hale v. Shinn, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hale-v-shinn-azd-2023.