Kroska-Flynn, Donovan v. Litscher, Jon

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedJanuary 19, 2021
Docket3:18-cv-00304
StatusUnknown

This text of Kroska-Flynn, Donovan v. Litscher, Jon (Kroska-Flynn, Donovan v. Litscher, Jon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kroska-Flynn, Donovan v. Litscher, Jon, (W.D. Wis. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

DONAVAN KROSKA-FLYNN,

Plaintiff, OPINION AND ORDER v. 18-cv-304-wmc REED RICHARDSON and JAMIE BARKER,

Defendants.

This court previously granted pro se plaintiff Donovan Kroska-Flynn leave to proceed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 on Eighth Amendment claims against two employees of Stanley Correctional Institution (“Stanley”), Jamie Barker and Reed Richardson, for their alleged deliberate indifference to his reports of various symptoms caused by Candida, a fungal infection. Kroska-Flynn has filed motions for preliminary injunction (dkt. ##27, 38), to compel (dkt. #47), to amend his complaint (dkt. ##48-49) and for assistance in recruiting counsel (dkt. #42). While the court will require defendants to supplement their response to Kroska-Flynn’s assertions regarding the existence of certain video footage, the court will deny the balance of Kroska-Flynn’s motions for the reasons set forth below. OPINION I. Motion for Preliminary Injunction (dkt. ##27, 38) A. Undisputed Facts1

Much of the undisputed record relevant to plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction concerns evidence of his not testing positive for various diseases. For example, in 2017, while incarcerated at Stanley, Kroska-Flynn underwent numerous blood tests, all of which were normal. Additionally, he provided a stool sample to test for parasites, which was normal. On July 28, 2017, Kroska-Flynn also underwent an MRI of his brain, which

showed no signs of a stroke or tumor, nor was there a report of any inflammatory response. Shortly after Kroska-Flynn was released from Stanley on June 26, 2018, he also attended several appointments at Essential Health in Duluth, Minnesota. Those records similarly do not show that Kroska-Flynn was diagnosed with meningitis. Instead, on July 19, 2018, a family doctor recommended testing for an infection or inflammatory response. However, Kroska-Flynn declined that testing; instead, he asked for something to “wash it

away.” On August 29, 2018, Kroska-Flynn had a follow-up visit, and the record of that visit also showed no signs or symptoms of a fungal infection. Kroska-Flynn was revoked and reincarcerated in September of 2018. Kroska-Flynn next attests that in September of 2019, Dr. Cheryl Jean-Pierre ordered a trial of fluconazole and said that she would schedule an appointment with an infectious disease specialist for four months. (Kroska-Flynn Decl. (dkt. #29) ¶ 2.) However, Dr.

1 Except where noted, the court draws the following, undisputed facts from Kroska-Flynn’s declaration in support of his motion for preliminary injunction and defendants’ evidence in opposition. Jean-Pierre’s notes from that encounter include neither a recommendation for him to see an infectious disease specialist, nor any order for such an appointment. (See dkt. #29-2, at 1.) In response, Kroska-Flynn asserts that Dr. Jean-Pierre’s notes must have been

doctored to omit her recommendation, since in the “Assessment/Plan” section of her notes includes an unfinished sentence starting with “He’ll need the.” (Id.) In any event, Kroska-Flynn says that the fluconazole prescribed by Dr. Jean-Pierre alleviated the itch inside his head, the abnormal sensations in his body, and the rash. (Id. ¶ 5.) Dr. Hoffman also attests that fluconazole would treat a fungal skin infection, but it

would not treat meningitis caused by a fungus. (Hoffman Decl. (dkt. #33) ¶ 17.) In September 2019, Kroska-Flynn was transferred to the New Lisbon Correctional Institution (“New Lisbon”), where he was seen by Dr. Hoffman multiple times to address his belief that he was suffering from fungal meningitis. However, Dr. Hoffman did not schedule him for a follow up with an infectious disease specialist, and instead referred him to the Psychological Services Unit (“PSU”). Specifically, the medical records that Kroska-

Flynn attaches to his declaration show on November 18, 2019, Kroska-Flynn met with Dr. Hoffman, who noted that Kroska-Flynn has believed he has fungal meningitis since 2017, and that although he saw a doctor in Duluth for his perceived infection, that doctor did not treat him for a fungal infection and instead recommended probiotics. (See dkt. #29- 3.) Dr. Hoffman concluded in those notes that: I would expect if he had a meningitis, he would have become severely ill and probably d[ied] without treatment. I do not believe that an infectious disease consult is warranted, nor a spinal tap. I would repeat his labs in a month and see him back in 2. He has been seen by the psychologist on the unit, and he may actually do best with a referral to a psychiatrist. He does not seem happy with a prior trial of medication in 2017. (Id.) Kroska-Flynn subsequently met with Dr. Bret Reynolds, a psychiatrist, who attempted to prescribe him Abilify, an antidepressant, which Kroska-Flynn refused. Dr. Reynolds noted in particular: The patient seems to fit the diagnosis of delusional disorder . . . . while there is a low chance of having improvement of delusional disorder with the atypical antipsychotic, I still felt it would be worth trying, but Mr. Kroska is quite clear that he is not willing to engage in psychotropic medication treatment and so we ended our appointment on a polite and friendly note and I tried to assure him that my dictations and comments would not be used to “sabotage” his effort to get more intensive care . . . .

(dkt. #29-4.) In a declaration submitted in opposition to Kroska-Flynn’s motion, Dr. Hoffman also attests that he does not believe that Kroska-Flynn suffers from meningitis caused by a fungus. He bases this opinion on his examinations of Kroska-Flynn, as well as blood test results from October 7, 2019, January 9, 2019, and January 29, 2020, that did not show immune system activity or any conditions that require further assessments. Specifically, Dr. Hoffman obtained blood work showing a normal CBC; a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate; a negative urinalysis, hepatitis B core antibody, HIV and tuberculosis. Dr. Hoffman attests that if Kroska-Flynn were suffering from a yeast or fungal infection or immune response, the results would not be normal. Similarly, Dr. Hoffman explained that if Kroska-Flynn had meningitis in 2017, the imaging at that time would have shown an inflammatory response. For all these reasons, Dr. Hoffman opines that Kroska-Flynn should not be treated for meningitis, nor should he be sent for a consultation with an infectious disease specialist.2 B. Analysis

A preliminary injunction is an “extraordinary equitable remedy that is available only when the movant shows clear need.” Turnell v. CentiMark Corp., 796 F.3d 656, 661 (7th Cir. 2015) (internal citation omitted). The Seventh Circuit instructs that a district court should engage in a two-step analysis in evaluating a request for preliminary relief. “In the first phase, the party seeking a preliminary injunction must make a threshold showing that:

(1) absent preliminary injunctive relief, he will suffer irreparable harm in the interim prior to a final resolution; (2) there is no adequate remedy at law; and (3) he has a reasonable likelihood of success on the merits.” Id. at 661-62. If the moving party meets this first burden, then the court must weigh the factors against one another in a sliding scale analysis to determine whether the balance of harms weighs in favor of the moving party or whether the nonmoving party (or public interest) will be harmed sufficiently, such that the

injunction should be denied.

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Kroska-Flynn, Donovan v. Litscher, Jon, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kroska-flynn-donovan-v-litscher-jon-wiwd-2021.