HOOK v. WEXFORD OF INDIANA, LLC

District Court, S.D. Indiana·Decided March 28, 2023·No. 1:20-cv-03174·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION

BRIAN HOOK, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 1:20-cv-03174-SEB-KMB ) WEXFORD OF INDIANA, LLC, ) ) Defendant. )

Order Granting Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment and Directing Entry of Final Judgment

Plaintiff Brian Hook is an inmate at Pendleton Correctional Facility. He fell while working during his prison job and injured his back and his teeth. Mr. Hook brought this lawsuit against Dr. Alice Buckley and Wexford of Indiana, LLC alleging they denied him adequate medical care in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Summary judgment was previously granted in favor of Dr. Buckley because she was not working at Pendleton at the time of Mr. Hook's injury. Wexford now moves for summary judgment contending Mr. Hook lacks sufficient evidence to present his Monell claim to a jury. For the reasons that follow, Wexford's motion is granted. I. Standard of Review Parties in a civil dispute may move for summary judgment, which is a way of resolving a case short of a trial. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine dispute as to any of the material facts, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id.; Pack v. Middlebury Comm. Sch., 990 F.3d 1013, 1017 (7th Cir. 2021). A "genuine dispute" exists when a reasonable factfinder could return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). "Material facts" are those that might affect the outcome of the suit. Id. When reviewing a motion for summary judgment, the Court views the record and draws all reasonable inferences from it in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Khungar v.

Access Cmty. Health Network, 985 F.3d 565, 572-73 (7th Cir. 2021). It cannot weigh evidence or make credibility determinations on summary judgment because those tasks are left to the fact- finder. Miller v. Gonzalez, 761 F.3d 822, 827 (7th Cir. 2014). The Court is only required to consider the materials cited by the parties, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(3); it is not required to "scour every inch of the record" for evidence that is potentially relevant. Grant v. Tr. of Ind. Univ., 870 F.3d 562, 573-74 (7th Cir. 2017). "[A] party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of 'the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any,' which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact." Celotex Corp. v.

Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323 (1986). "[T]he burden on the moving party may be discharged by 'showing'—that is, pointing out to the district court—that there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party's case." Id. at 325. II. Factual Background Because Wexford has moved for summary judgment under Rule 56(a), the Court views and recites the evidence "in the light most favorable to [Mr. Hook] and draw[s] all reasonable inferences in [his] favor." Zerante v. DeLuca, 555 F.3d 582, 584 (7th Cir. 2009) (citation omitted). In April 2020, Mr. Hook worked in the auto body shop at Pendleton Correctional Facility. Dkt. 78-3 at 5, Deposition of Brian Hook. On April 6, after completing a repair, Mr. Hook fell ten feet off a ladder and injured his back and teeth. Id. at 5 – 6; dkt. 78-2 at 3, Hook Medical Records. Mr. Hook presented to the medical unit shortly after his fall; he was able to walk there with

assistance from others. Dkt. 78-3 at 6; dkt. 78-2 at 10. Nurse Amber Plasterer examined him and took his vitals. Dkt. 78-2 at 2 – 4. Nurse Plasterer noted that Mr. Hook had bruising to his chest area, pain in his elbow, a scrape on his right shin, and a broken tooth. Id. She also noted his range of motion for his chest, elbow, shin, and back was within normal limits and there was no numbness or swelling. Id. Mr. Hook was provided with Tylenol, and Dr. Duan Pierce ordered x-rays for his back and elbow. Id. Mr. Hook was told to purchase more off the commissary if necessary. Dkt. 78-3 at 6. The abdominal x-ray revealed nothing acute and no rib fractures.1 Id. at 12. The elbow x-ray showed no abnormality, fracture, or dislocation. Id. at 13. Later that day, Mr. Hook submitted a healthcare request asking to be seen by a dentist. Dkt. 78-2 at 11. He reported that he had fallen on a ladder, chipped his tooth, and needed it fixed.

Id. At this time, only emergency dental treatment was available; routine dental care was not being provided in accordance with state and federal guidelines related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Id. Nonetheless, Mr. Hook was seen in the dental department that same day. Dkt. 78-2 at 15. Greg Noll, the dentist, examined Mr. Hook and considered his complaint of pain. Id. Dentist Noll failed to see any "noticeable injury to the tooth." Id. Mr. Hook was instructed to submit a healthcare request if the dental pain continued. Id.

1 The doctor's report interpreting the x-ray states "Additional review to be used on the right and left fields demonstrate fracture, pneumothorax, or pleural reaction." Id. However, this appears to be a typographical error, as the x-ray doctor handwrote "fail to" before the word "demonstrates" along with his initials and date. Id. Two days later, the auto body plant manager contacted medical to obtain more pain medication because Mr. Hook had used all of his Tylenol. Dkt. 78-3 at 6. In response, Mr. Hook was prescribed Naproxen, a pain relief medication. Id.; Dkt. 78-2 ¶ 9. Mr. Hook was seen by Physician's Assistant Sheri Wilson on June 8, 2020 for a chronic

care appointment for an unrelated condition. Dkt. 78-2 at 5 – 8. PA Wilson's note does not reflect any complaints of back or dental pain. Id. On June 14, 2021—14 months after his fall—Mr. Hook submitted a health care request complaining of dental pain: I fell of (sic) a ladder last year and chipped three teeth[.] The dentist at that time said he couldn't do anything now one is hurting so I need something done. Work injury.

Dkt. 78-2 at 14. Mr. Hook was scheduled for a dental appointment in July 2021. Id. Sometime between this appointment and the time of his deposition, in September 2021, his tooth was pulled. Dkt. 78-3 at 7. Mr. Hook stated in his deposition, however, that he still has two teeth bothering him. Id. III. Procedural History Mr. Hook filed this lawsuit on December 10, 2020. Dkt. 1. Mr. Hook alleged that he had "not been treated and or the treatment he received [was] ineffective." Id. at ¶ 20. He did not describe his injuries, what medical care he believed he was denied, or how he was harmed as a result. The Court screened Mr. Hook's complaint and identified two Section 1983 claims to proceed in this lawsuit: a deliberate indifference claim against Dr. Alice Buckley and a Monell claim against Wexford of Indiana, LLC.2 Dkt. 8. Dr. Buckley filed a motion to dismiss asserting

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

HOOK v. WEXFORD OF INDIANA, LLC, (S.D. Ind. 2023).

HOOK v. WEXFORD OF INDIANA, LLC (HOOK v. WEXFORD OF INDIANA, LLC) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs.
436 U.S. 658 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Karl F. Wudtke and Hope C. Wudtke v. Frederick J. Davel
128 F.3d 1057 (Seventh Circuit, 1997)
Boyce v. Moore
314 F.3d 884 (Seventh Circuit, 2002)
Armond Norfleet v. Thomas Webster and Alejandro Hadded
439 F.3d 392 (Seventh Circuit, 2006)
Williams v. Rodriguez
509 F.3d 392 (Seventh Circuit, 2007)
Zerante v. DeLuca
555 F.3d 582 (Seventh Circuit, 2009)
Julian J. Miller v. Albert Gonzalez
761 F.3d 822 (Seventh Circuit, 2014)
Tyrone Petties v. Imhotep Carter
836 F.3d 722 (Seventh Circuit, 2016)
Calvin Whiting v. Wexford Health Sources, Incorp
839 F.3d 658 (Seventh Circuit, 2016)
Alma Glisson v. Correctional Medical Services
849 F.3d 372 (Seventh Circuit, 2017)
Otis Grant v. Trustees of Indiana University
870 F.3d 562 (Seventh Circuit, 2017)
George Walker v. Wexford Health Sources, Inc.
940 F.3d 954 (Seventh Circuit, 2019)
Pooja Khungar v. Access Community Health Networ
985 F.3d 565 (Seventh Circuit, 2021)
First Midwest Bank v. City of Chicago
988 F.3d 978 (Seventh Circuit, 2021)
Kevin Pack v. Middlebury Community Schools
990 F.3d 1013 (Seventh Circuit, 2021)
Adrian Thomas v. James Blackard
2 F.4th 716 (Seventh Circuit, 2021)
Zachary Johnson v. Bessie Dominguez
5 F.4th 818 (Seventh Circuit, 2021)