Jay Donald Witkowski v. Cindy McGillis-Hiner and Peter Molnar

CourtDistrict Court, D. Montana
DecidedFebruary 18, 2026
Docket6:24-cv-00049
StatusUnknown

This text of Jay Donald Witkowski v. Cindy McGillis-Hiner and Peter Molnar (Jay Donald Witkowski v. Cindy McGillis-Hiner and Peter Molnar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jay Donald Witkowski v. Cindy McGillis-Hiner and Peter Molnar, (D. Mont. 2026).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MONTANA HELENA DIVISION

JAY DONALD WITKOWSKIJ, CV 24-49-H-DWM Plaintiff, VS. OPINION and ORDER CINDY McGILLIS-HINER and PETER MOLNAR, Defendants.

Plaintiff Jay Donald Witkowski, a state pretrial detainee proceeding pro se, alleges that he was denied adequate medical treatment at Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, Montana and at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana. (See Doc. 8.) Although he initially named several defendants, his claims were permitted to proceed against only Defendant Cindy McGillis-Hiner (“Hiner”) and Peter Molnar. (See Doc. 9) Hiner is the Chief of the Health Services Bureau at the Montana State Prison. (See Doc. 18 at 2.) Molnar is an advanced practice registered nurse who provided medical services at Crossroads Correctional Center, a privately-owned facility that houses state inmates. (See Doc. 17 at 8.) The parties have all moved for summary judgment. (Docs. 44, 45, 60.) For the reasons provided below, summary judgment is granted in favor of the defendants.

LEGAL STANDARD Summary judgment is appropriate “if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.”! Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A fact is material if it impacts the outcome of the case in accordance with governing substantive law. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). A dispute of material fact is genuine “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Jd. All reasonable inferences must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Tatum v. Moody, 768 F.3d 806, 814 (9th Cir. 2014). Nonetheless, the nonmoving party must identify, with some reasonable particularity, the evidence that it believes precludes summary judgment. See Soto

v. Sweetman, 882 F.3d 865, 870 (9th Cir. 2018) (explaining that while pro se parties are exempted from “strict compliance with the summary judgment rules,” they are “not exempt[ed] . . . from a// compliance,” such as the requirement to identify or submit competent evidence in support of their claims). On cross- motions for summary judgment, it is the court’s “independent duty to review each cross-motion and its supporting evidence . . . to determine whether [the] evidence demonstrates a genuine issue of material fact.” Fair Hous. Council of Riverside

' Defendants’ motions were accompanied by the requisite Rand notices. (See Docs. 48, 64.)

Cnty., Inc. v. Riverside Two, 249 F.3d 1132, 1137 (9th Cir. 2001). Each motion is therefore evaluated separately, “giving the nonmoving party in each instance the benefit of all reasonable inferences.” Lenz v. Universal Music Corp., 815 F.3d 1145, 1150 (9th Cir. 2016) (quotation marks omitted). BACKGROUND At summary judgment, the facts identified by the parties in their “Statements of Undisputed Facts” are generally considered undisputed and viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. See Tolan v. Cotton, 572 U.S. 650, 657 (2014) (per curiam). While such statements have been filed by the defendants, (see Docs. 47, 63), Witkowski has not filed a statement of disputed or undisputed facts but rather conventionally filed a USB drive containing hundreds of files. (See Doc. 44.) Because this Court has “no obligation to act as counsel or paralegal to pro se litigants,” (Doc. 67 at 2 (quoting Pliler v. Ford, 542 U.S. 225, 231 (2004))), Witkowski was ordered to show cause why summary judgment should not be granted in favor of the defendants based on his failure to comply with the Local Rules, (id. at 3). His response to that Order is comprised of conclusory statements of fact with no citation to any evidence or any reference to the already-filed

exhibits. (See Doc. 68.) As a result, the facts presented by the defendants in their Statements of Undisputed Facts, (see Docs. 47, 63), are considered undisputed for the purpose of resolving the present motions. See Soto, 882 F.3d at 870; D. Mont.

L.R. 56.1(d). I. Medical Claims Witkowski is a state prisoner that was housed at Crossroads Correctional Center from May 8, 2018 to December 19, 2023, (Doc. 63 at § 3), when he was transferred to Montana State Prison, (Doc. 47 at § 2). Witkowski alleges numerous illnesses and/or medical issues for which he believes he did not receive adequate care. The conditions include a hernia that pre-dated his incarceration, (Doc. 63 at { 6); a 2018 knee infection that became septic, (id. § 7); 2021 lump formation in his forearm, (id. J 8); 2018-2022 leaky heart valve and cardiac issues, (id. J 9); 2023-2025 back pain, (id. J 10); 2018-2024 eye issues, (id. 11); and 2021 and 2025 rectal bleeding, (id. { 12).? Witkowski also alleges that he suffers from depression and anxiety and received inadequate mental health treatment when his □ prescription from Wellbutrin was terminated in 2022. Ud. J 14; Doc. 47 at 17- 21.) While Witkowski’s pleadings refer to all these issues, the primary impetus for his lawsuit appears to be the delay in his back surgery that occurred when he was transferred from Crossroads to Montana State Prison in December 2023. Though far from exhaustive, the care and treatment Witkowski received for

2 Molnar also references an alleged urinary tract infection in 2025 that is not contained in the medical records. (See Doc. 63 at J 13.) Because that condition is not reflected in the records and appears to post-date the filing of the operative pleading, it is not considered here.

the conditions outlined above is provided below. A. Hernia Witkowski began to report hernia pain in February 2019 but he indicated that “the hernia is typically easily reduced,” and he declined further treatment by Crossroads providers on at least two occasions. (Doc. 63 at | 6.) After he reported in tolerable pain in July 2019, the hernia was removed by a surgeon in October 2019. Ud.) B. Knee Infection Witkowski reported to Crossroads medical with an infected right knee on June 20, 2018 that was apparently caused by an ingrown hair. (Doc. 63 at ¥ 7.) The site was immediately cleaned and drained. (/d.) Because of his serious infection, Witkowski was transferred to the emergency room at Marias Medical Center that same day. The next day he was transferred to Benefis Hospital. (/d.) He was returned to Crossroads on June 29, 2018, and by July 2, he reported that his knee had largely recovered. (/d.) C. Forearm Lumps On January 11, 2021, Witkowski attempted to cut a lipoma from his forearm. (Doc. 63 at § 8.) He was sent to Marias Medical Center for wound care and closure. (/d.) On August 7, 2021, Molnar removed a fatty lesion from Witkowski’s left forearm after Witkowski reported it was painful. (/d.)

D. Heart While Witkowski was hospitalized for his knee infection, he was given an echocardiogram (“ECHO”) on June 22, 2018. (Doc. 63 at | 9.) The results showed a minor blood leak in Witkowski’s heart valves but this issue did not cause

any external symptoms or require treatment. (/d.) In July 2018, Witkowski met with Molnar who reviewed the ECHO results and noted that he would “consider [a] cardiology consult if pt develops symptoms, consider repeat ECHO if symptomatic.” (/d.) Witkowski then complained of chest pain June 2021 and a “leaky heart valve” in April 2022.

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Jay Donald Witkowski v. Cindy McGillis-Hiner and Peter Molnar, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jay-donald-witkowski-v-cindy-mcgillis-hiner-and-peter-molnar-mtd-2026.