KREIS v. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY PRISON

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 29, 2025
Docket5:21-cv-02360
StatusUnknown

This text of KREIS v. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY PRISON (KREIS v. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY PRISON) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
KREIS v. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY PRISON, (E.D. Pa. 2025).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

AUGUST B. KREIS, IV Plaintiff, CIVIL ACTION NO. 21-2360 v. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY PRISON, et al. Defendants. MEMORANDUM OPINION Rufe, J. September 29, 2025 In this action brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, pro se Plaintiff August Byron Kreis, IV has filed suit asserting claims concerning the conditions of his confinement at Northampton County Prison (“NCP”) between November 9, 2020, and February 15, 2023. He brings claims against PrimeCare Medical, Inc.; Jennifer Keller, RN; Paulina Foley, PA-C; Shane O. Caffery, LPN; Kersyn Aravich, LPN; and Nicole Brooks, LPN (the “PrimeCare Defendants”), and against James C. Kostura, Mark T. Bartholomew, John Harman, Charles Horvath, Jeremy Ackerman, Michael Gazzano, Jose Santiago, Fernando Arias, Andrew Kuczma, and Jeremy Walker (the “NCP Defendants”). All Defendants have moved for summary judgment, which Plaintiff opposes. For the reasons stated below, the motions will be granted in part and denied in part.

I. LEGAL STANDARD A court must grant summary judgment “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.”1 A fact

1 Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). is material if it could affect the outcome of the suit, given the applicable substantive law, and a dispute is genuine if the evidence presented is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.2 In evaluating a summary judgment motion, a court “must view the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party,” and make every reasonable inference in that party’s favor.3

A court may not weigh the evidence or make credibility determinations at the summary judgment stage.4 Nevertheless, the party opposing summary judgment must support each essential element of the opposition with concrete evidence in the record.5 This requirement upholds the “underlying purpose of summary judgment [which] is to avoid a pointless trial in cases where it is unnecessary and would only cause delay and expense.”6 “If the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be granted.”7 Therefore, if, after making all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party, the court determines there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact, then summary judgment is appropriate.8 Finally, although the Court liberally construes Plaintiff’s pro se filings, Plaintiff

must set forth facts, supported by affidavits or other evidence of record, sufficient to survive summary judgment.9

2 Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). 3 Hugh v. Butler Cnty. Family YMCA, 418 F.3d 265, 267 (3d Cir. 2005). 4 Boyle v. County of Allegheny, 139 F.3d 386, 393 (3d Cir. 1998). 5 Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322–23 (1986). 6 Walden v. Saint Gobain Corp., 323 F. Supp. 2d 637, 641 (E.D. Pa. 2004) (citation omitted). 7 Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249–50 (citations omitted). 8 Wisniewski v. Johns-Manville Corp., 812 F.2d 81, 83 (3d Cir. 1987). 9 Houseknecht v. Doe, 653 F. Supp. 2d 547, 555 (E.D. Pa. 2009). II. CLAIMS AGAINST PRIMECARE DEFENDANTS There is no question that Plaintiff has been diagnosed with epilepsy, which causes him to experience seizures. He also has been treated for PTSD and depression. Before his incarceration, Plaintiff was a patient at St. Luke’s Neurology, where he was prescribed the anticonvulsant

medications Trileptal, Vimpat, and Onfi. Onfi must be taken once daily and the others twice a day. Kreis also had a Vagus Nerve Stimulation (“VNS”) device implanted, which is designed to help with seizures.10 Kreis had the use of this device during his incarceration. When he was incarcerated in November 2020, Kreis was evaluated by medical personnel and kept on the prescribed medications. The pharmacy provided a generic form of Trileptal.11 He testified that he did not receive the medications 12 hours apart, as ordered by his neurologist; however, although he stated that the times varied, he did receive his medications during the morning med pass and the evening med pass.12 More seriously, Kreis asserts that he did not receive his medication at all on multiple occasions. Kreis testified that the first week at NCP he did not receive any medication.13 He also states that he did not receive Onfi on November 11,

2020; Vimpat was not available in the morning or evening on December 6, 2020, or on the morning of December 7, 2020 and again on December 9, 2020; and he appears to state that he did not receive any anticonvulsant medication between December 11 and December 14, 2020.14 There is a note in the medical records for December 4, 2020, by Defendant Caffrey stating that

10 Fourth Amend, Compl. at 49 [Doc. No. 55]. 11 Doc. No 174-2 at ECF page 40; see Pl.’s Opp. PrimeCare Defs.’ Mot. at 1-2 [Doc. No. 210]. The record is not clear as to whether Kreis received the generic or name-brand version of Vimpat; however, the directions from St. Luke’s specified brand-name medication only for Trileptal. See, e.g., Doc. No. 174-2 at ECF page 104. 12 Kreis Dep. at 185-87 [Doc. No. 181-1]. 13 Kreis Dep. at 177 [Doc. No. 181-1]. 14 Pl.’s Opp. PrimeCare Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J at ECF pages 10-11 [Doc. No. 179]. “Infi [sic] and Vimpat r/o’d,” which may indicate that these medications were not in stock.15 Kreis alleges that he missed nine doses by the time he saw Paulina Foley on December 14, 2020.16 The records also reflect that Plaintiff suffered several seizures at NCP, including on December 8, 2020.17 Defendant Caffery was responsible for stocking the medications at NCP at the relevant time.18

During his incarceration, Kreis saw a physician or physician’s assistant at NCP between 15 and 30 times, and the nursing staff numerous times.19 Kreis also was transported to St. Luke’s for evaluation seven times. At the first (February 15, 2021) and second (March 25, 2021) visits there were no recommendations for Plaintiff to be assigned brand name Trileptal, or housed in an area where he could be observed while sleeping.20 The St. Luke’s visit notes from July 27, 2021, state that Vimpat and “oxcarbazepine” (the generic form of Trileptal) be dosed 12 hours apart.21 It was not until the visit of November 23, 2021, that St. Luke’s included a directive to ensure that Plaintiff received brand-name Trileptal, that St. Luke’s be contacted immediately if this was not possible, and that he be observable while sleeping.22 The treatment notes reflect that after that

visit, the brand name Trileptal was obtained, although a note dated September 5, 2022, reflects that the brand-name was not in stock and that Kreis agreed to take the generic form instead.23

15 Medical Records at ECF page 16 [Doc. No. 176-6]. 16 Pl.’s Opp. PrimeCare Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. at ECF page 20 [Doc. No. 179]. 17 See Medical Records at ECF page 15 [Doc. No. 176-6]. 18 Caffery Interrog. Resp. at ECF page 127 [Doc. No. 174-2]; Pl.’s Opp. PrimeCare Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. at ECF page 29 [Doc. No. 179]. 19 Kreis Dep. at 171-72 [Doc. No. 181-1]. 20 PrimeCare Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. at ECF page 108-12 [Doc. No. 174-2] 21 Id. at ECF page 113.

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