Hullinger v. Forgey MD

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedApril 5, 2021
Docket2:20-cv-00417
StatusUnknown

This text of Hullinger v. Forgey MD (Hullinger v. Forgey MD) 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
Hullinger v. Forgey MD, (N.D. Ind. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA HAMMOND DIVISION CHRISTOPHER HULLINGER, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) CAUSE NO. 2:20-CV-417-PPS-JEM ) WILLIAM FORGEY, MD, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) OPINION AND ORDER Plaintiff, Christopher Hullinger, a former inmate of the Lake County Jail, filed this section 1983 action against a number of defendants alleging they were deliberately indifferent after he received serious eye injuries in a jail fight, and they failed to provide him with adequate medical care. Specifically, the treating physician told Hullinger he needed to have surgery within 7 days to prevent permanent damage to his eye, but Hullinger never received the surgery. There are three pending motions to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) before me: (1) Defendant Edward Davies (the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Jail Administrator) [DE 6]; (2) Unknown Officers of Lake County Jail [DE 13]; and (3) Defendant Dr. William Forgey (the medical director of the Lake County Jail) [DE 20]. All three motions are related to a common nucleus of facts in this case. Therefore, it is appropriate to address all of them in one opinion and order. Because Hullinger has alleged deliberate indifference as to a continuing refusal to give him the required eye surgery, the statute of limitations did not expire on his section 1983 claims and the motions will be denied on timeliness grounds. Hullinger has conceded that the official capacity claims and some other claims should be dismissed, and the claims against the “unknown officers” will also be dismissed pursuant to Seventh Circuit

authority. Therefore, as described more thoroughly below, the motions to dismiss will be granted in part and denied in part. Background Plaintiff, Christopher Hullinger, filed a complaint in the Lake Superior Court on June 13, 2019. There was a delay of service of process, and Dr. Forgey was not served

until about November 3, 2020. [DE 1 at 2.] On November 18, 2020, the lawsuit was removed to this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441(c) and 1446(b). [DE 1.] The complaint contains 11 counts against numerous entities, alleging federal constitutional violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and supplemental state law claims. The facts alleged in the complaint are straightforward but troubling. On April 27, 2017, while incarcerated at the Lake County Jail, Hullinger was assaulted by two

other inmates. [Compl., DE 2 at 2.] As a result of the attack, Hullinger fractured three bones in his eye and his jaw bone. [Id.] Hullinger requested medical treatment and approximately four hours after his initial request, he was taken to a nearby hospital. [Id.] Due to the swelling, no diagnostic testing could be performed. [Id. at 7.] Approximately two days later, Hullinger returned to the hospital and was diagnosed

with a fractured orbital bone. [Id.] The treating physician told Hullinger that he must have eye surgery within the next 7 days to prevent permanent damage to his eye. [Id. at 2 2, 7.] Hullinger was scheduled for surgery, but the jail did not transport him to the hospital. [Id.] After his surgery date had passed, Hullinger was transported to see the surgeon who rescheduled the surgery. [Id. at 7.] Although the defendants were aware

of the rescheduled surgery date, for reasons that are unclear, Hullinger was not taken to surgery on the new date. [Id.] On or about June 5, 2017, Hullinger was in the booking area to be transported for “a medical appointment” when he was allegedly assaulted by Officer J. Cockrell.1 [Id. at 2, 7.] Officer Cockrell placed Hullinger in hand restraints, twisted his arms and struck

him in the eye, causing more injuries to Hullinger’s eye. [Id.] Hullinger was transported to the hospital, but could not have the surgery because his eye was leaking from the assault. [Id.] Hullinger never received any additional medical treatment, despite his many requests. [Id.] Although this was not alleged in the complaint, Hullinger states in his memoranda that he was released from the Lake County Jail on or around June 27, 2017, and this date is not controverted. [DE 24 at 2.]

Hullinger alleges that Davies (the Jail Administrator) and the unknown officers of Lake County Jail “intentionally and deliberately failed to transport Mr. Hullinger to the hospital to receive surgery,” and they engaged in a “pattern and practice of failing and/or refusing to provide adequate and necessary medical treatment to inmates,” which caused him physical and emotional injury, including significant and permanent

1Officer Cockrell was originally a named defendant in this case. But Hullinger filed a stipulation of dismissal without prejudice, and I granted it, dismissing all counts against Officer Cockrell without prejudice. [DE 31, 32.] 3 scarring. [DE 2 at 9-10.] He alleges that Dr. Forgey, the Jail’s medical director, failed to “adequately treat inmates who require extensive and/or expensive medical care” and failed to provide adequate training and supervision to the personnel. [Id. at 9-10.]

Because this is a lengthy complaint with a number of defendants, let’s zero in on the counts against each of the three defendants who have filed motions to dismiss. As to both Davies (who was sued individually and in his official capacity as Jail Administrator of the Lake County Jail) and the Unknown Officers of Lake County Jail2, the complaint asserts the same three counts. The first two fall under section 1983,

alleging Hullinger suffered an objectively serious medical condition to which Davies and the unknown officers were deliberately indifferent and this violated his Eighth Amendment rights (Count I) and Fourteenth Amendment rights (Count II). Counts I and II cover the same grounds. If, on the one hand, Hullinger was a pretrial detainee at the time of the incident in question, then the Fourteenth Amendment claim in Count II makes sense. If, however, Hullinger was serving a

sentence at the Lake County Jail, then his claim can only be brought under the Eighth Amendment. See Armstrong v. Squadrito, 152 F.3d 564, 570 (7th Cir. 1998) (stating Eighth Amendment claim “applies only to a convicted prisoner rather than a pretrial detainee whose rights receive the protection of due process.”). Since this distinction between the

2 A plaintiff bringing a Section 1983 claim is required to “specify whether suit is brought against the defendant in his official capacity or in his individual capacity.” Hill v. Shelander, 924 F.2d 1370, 1372 (7th Cir. 1991). Hullinger fails to specify the capacity in which the Unknown Officers of Lake County Jail are being sued. This will be discussed more later in this opinion. 4 Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments was not raised by the parties in their briefing I will ignore the issue for now but the matter will need to be clarified as this case works towards the summary judgment phase of litigation.

In addition to the federal claims, Hullinger also alleges a state law negligence claim against Davies and the unknown officers, claiming they had a statutory duty to take care of Hullinger, but failed to do so by providing adequate medical treatment (Count IV). As to Dr. Forgey, Hullinger sued him individually and as Medical Director of the

Lake County Jail. Dr. Forgey was also named in Counts I and II of the complaint (for civil rights violations arising under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments).

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