Johnson v. Karnes

398 F.3d 868, 2005 WL 433194
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 25, 2005
Docket03-4200
StatusPublished
Cited by647 cases

This text of 398 F.3d 868 (Johnson v. Karnes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Karnes, 398 F.3d 868, 2005 WL 433194 (6th Cir. 2005).

Opinions

MOORE, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which EDMUNDS, D.J., joined. GIBBONS, J. (pp. 877-79), delivered a separate dissenting opinion.

OPINION

MOORE, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff-Appellant James M. Johnson II (“Johnson”) severed several tendons in his right hand immediately prior to his detention in the Franklin County Jail. After his release, Johnson brought this suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Defendants-Appellees Jim Karnes, in his official capacity as Franklin County Sheriff (“Sheriff Karnes”); the Franklin County Board of Commissioners (“Franklin County Commissioners”); EMSA Correctional Care, Inc. (“EMSA”); and Vincent Anthony Spagna, M.D. (“Dr. Spagna”) violated his constitutional right to adequate medical care in jail.1 The district court granted summary judgment in favor of.all four defendants, and Johnson challenges that decision on appeal. As Johnson did not put forward sufficient evidence to demonstrate a genuine issue of material fact as to whether his injuries resulted from a policy or custom of either Franklin County or EMSA, we AFFIRM the district court’s decision to grant summary judgment in favor of Sheriff Karnes, the Franklin County Commissioners, and EMSA. However, as we conclude that Johnson has established a fact issue on his claim against Dr. Spagna, we REVERSE the district court’s decision to grant summary judgment in favor of Dr. Spagna, and REMAND this case to the district court for further proceedings.

I. BACKGROUND

We take the facts of this case in the light most favorable to Johnson, the party opposing the summary judgment motion. Sometime after dark on October 5th or 6th, 1998, Johnson severely cut his hand after tripping on a concrete stoop and falling at least partway through a glass door at the residence of his then-girlfriend, now-wife and co-plaintiff, Christie R. Johnson. Johnson called 911, and both an ambulance and a police car were dispatched [871]*871to the scene. As Johnson was bleeding severely, medical personnel brought him out to the ambulance and bandaged his wound. While the medical personnel were caring for him, the police discovered that there was an outstanding warrant for Johnson’s arrest.2 Johnson was then transferred from the ambulance to the police car, and taken to the emergency room of St. Ann’s Hospital.

At the time of his deposition, Johnson did not have a good memory of what took place during that emergency room visit. However, he did remember a female doctor telling him that his tendons had been completely severed, that he was to return for surgery in three to seven days3 (because the tendons needed some time to harden before surgery was performed), and that if he did not return in the appropriate time period, he would “probably ... lose the use of [his] hand permanently.” Joint Appendix (“J.A.”) at 151 (Johnson Dep.). Additionally, he remembers the doctor stating at least some of these things in the immediate presence of the police officers responsible for him..

Johnson was transferred from St. Ann’s Hospital to the Franklin County Jail, apparently later that same night or early the next morning. His initial medical screening form, dated October 6, 1998, bears the notation “See Hosp. Report” in response to a question about obvious medical problems. J.A. at 79 (Initial Medical Screening). After the initial medical evaluation, it may have been “a couple of days,” J.A. at 159 (Johnson Dep.), before Johnson even had the opportunity to speak to a nurse. After this, a jail nurse came periodically to give Johnson antibiotics- that had been prescribed by one of the emergency room' doctors but did not give him any painkillers. During the entire period Johnson was at the jail (a period of 31 days, including the day he entered and the day of his release), the bandages on his arm were changed only once. The jail nurses did not check the wound on any regular basis. Although he is not completely certain, Johnson stated that he believed he had the opportunity to speak with a doctor only once during his entire period of confinement.

During his confinement, Johnson submitted at least two “kites” (medical request forms) and one social service call card. The first medical request form, dated October 13, 1998, describes Johnson’s medical problem as:

“EAR INFECTION, EXTREME PAIN IN LEFT EAR. ALONG WITH EXTREME PAIN IN RIGHT HAND. SEVERED TENDONS NEED SURGERY TO [illegible, but possibly “RE-CONNET” (sic) ] TENDONS.

J.A. at 95. A notation at the bottom, in a different handwriting and apparently dated November 4, 1998, reads “To be seen 11/11/98 by Dr. Aziz.” J.A. at 95. This notation appears in a section marked “FOR STAFF USE ONLY” and appears to be signed by “T. Hairston RN.” J.A. at 95. The second medical request form, dated October 28, 1998, describes Johnson’s problem as:

THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I’VE HAD SENSE (sic) I’VE BEEN HERE (10/5/98), SEVERED TENDONS IN [872]*872MY RIGHT HAND THAT I’VE BEEN NEEDING SURGERY ON, THAT NO ONE HERE SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT! HELLO, I’M IN EXTREME PAIN.

J.A. at 96. There is no staff notation on the medical request form dated October 28, 1998. The social services call card, dated October 23,1998, begins:

SOCIAL SERVICES REQUEST AGAIN FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION, INMATE HAS NEEDED SURGERY FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW (10/5/98) [.] INMATE HAS PUT IN CALL CARDS AND MEDICAL SLIPS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS SEEKING AN URGENCY IN THIS MATTER. THE INMATE IS LOOKING AT PERM[A]N[E]NT LOSS OF USE OF RIGHT HAND ... DUE TO SEVERED TENDONS IN HIS RIGHT HAND WHICH HE NATURALLY IS (RIGHT HANDED).

J.A. at 97-98. .After discussing several issues more directly related to a social services request, it ends with the statement “INMATE IS CLOSE TO HAVING A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. PLEASE HELP BEFORE IT’S T0[0] LATE.” J.A. at 98. In addition to Johnson’s own efforts, one or more members of Johnson’s family were also trying to contact jail personnel about Johnson’s medical situation.

At the time of Johnson’s confinement, medical services at the jail were contracted out to EMSA. Dr. Spagna, an EMSA employee, served as “medical director of the Franklin County jail and workhouse.” J.A. at 253 (Spagna Dep.). Dr. Spagna testified in his deposition that Johnson’s medical request forms would have been reviewed first by the nurses, and only transferred to Dr. Spagna if the nurses determined that there was a problem worthy of his attention.4

In his deposition, Dr. Spagna asserted that it was his understanding that Johnson’s tendon “was not severed as much as it was injured,” and that “[n]o one ever mentioned severed meaning complete break.” J.A. at 273 (Spagna Dep.). He further noted that he had not seen the October 13, 1998, medical request form, the October 28, 1998, medical request form, or the social services call card. Dr. Spagna did not “have any independent recollection of'actually doing a full scale exam on [Johnson],” J.A. at 274-75 (Spagna Dep.), but on the basis of documents in Johnson’s records Dr. Spagna admitted that he “must have seen him” on October 16, 2004. J.A. at 282-84 (Spagna Dep.). When asked about an order, apparently dated October 23, 1998, ordering that Johnson’s sutures not be removed until after Johnson had seen a certain plastic surgeon,5 Dr.

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

Related

Joyce 251901 v. Stallman
W.D. Michigan, 2025
Lawrence 970911 v. Valdaze
W.D. Michigan, 2024
Schoening 496406 v. Molloy
W.D. Michigan, 2023
Clendenin v. Hunt
W.D. Michigan, 2023
Wilson 453216 v. Gwaltney
W.D. Michigan, 2023
Ward 728439 v. Loveberry
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Page 866570 v. Horton
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Manns 785254 v. Huss
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Clark 868212 v. Washington
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Howell 872975 v. Washington
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Lyles 132720 v. Pierce
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Meyers 431514 v. Stranaly
W.D. Michigan, 2022
Jones v. Mayble
W.D. Tennessee, 2021
Ross v. Rudd Medical Care
M.D. Tennessee, 2021
Phillips v. Harris
W.D. Tennessee, 2021
Williams v. Hall
W.D. Tennessee, 2021
Stribling v. Washington
E.D. Michigan, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
398 F.3d 868, 2005 WL 433194, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-karnes-ca6-2005.