Lemay v. Correct Care Solutions/Wellpath Inc.

District Court, M.D. Tennessee·Decided August 4, 2020·No. 3:19-cv-00683·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE NASHVILLE DIVISION

LARRY LEE LEMAY, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) NO. 3:19-cv-00683 v. ) JUDGE RICHARDSON ) CORRECT CARE SOLUTIONS, et al, ) ) Defendants. )

MEMORANDUM OPINION & ORDER Pending before the Court are pro se Plaintiff Larry Lee Lemay’s second and third motions for temporary restraining orders (“TRO”) filed in this action.1 On July 27, 2020, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, Order to Show Cause, and Preliminary Injunction (Doc. No. 64, “Second Motion for TRO”), and a supporting declaration (Doc. No. 65). On July 29, 2020, Defendant Correct Care Solutions/Wellpath, LLC (“Wellpath”) responded (Doc. No. 20, “Response”) and, with the permission of the Court, filed additional materials in support of its Response on July 31, 2020 (Doc. No. 74). Also on July 29, 2020, Plaintiff filed a third Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, Order to Show Cause and Preliminary Injunction (Doc. No. 69, “Third Motion for TRO”), and a supporting declaration (Doc. No. 70). For the reasons discussed below, Plaintiff’s Second Motion for TRO and Third Motion for TRO is DENIED. BACKGROUND Plaintiff initiated this action on August 7, 2019, asserting claims against Wellpath, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, and Officer Keyonna

1 Plaintiff filed his first Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Order to Show Cause and Preliminary Injunction (Doc. No. 18, “First Motion”) on October 24, 2019. The First Motion was denied as moot on October 30, 2019. (Doc. No. 22). Alexander, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, based on alleged deliberate indifference to Plaintiff’s serious medical needs in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution and violations of his due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. (Doc. No. 1). Plaintiff’s original Complaint arose from events allegedly occurring between approximately June 27, 2019 and July 1, 2019. According to Plaintiff, he was booked into the Hill Detention Center, a jail

facility operated by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, on June 27, 2019. He allegedly told medical staff upon intake that he is diabetic, uses an insulin pump, and typically takes 1.8 units of insulin per hour. He claims that despite providing this information, he was not given a diabetic diet and that his blood-sugar level was not adequately monitored. The next day, June 28, the medical staff allegedly disconnected and took away his insulin pump. Thereafter, allegedly he was not provided adequate amounts of insulin to take orally. By June 29, Plaintiff claims, he was feeling very ill. Allegedly, he notified Officer Alexander, who told him she would tell medical but did not do so. According to Plaintiff, when he finally was seen by medical that afternoon, his blood-sugar and ketone levels were so high that he was taken to the

hospital via ambulance and admitted for treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition resulting from the lack of adequate levels of insulin. As a result of this incident, he allegedly suffered acute kidney damage. On June 12, 2020, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint adding new defendants and asserting new facts in support of his § 1983 claim. (Doc. No. 58). The new allegations that form the basis of Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint encompass four events: (1) Plaintiff’s request for and denial of Gabapentin 300 mg; (2) Plaintiff’s pending request for a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM); (3) a disciplinary action brought against Defendant for alleged possession of contraband, possessing property without authorization, theft, violating housing rules, smuggling, and hoarding medication; and (4) the inadequacy of the law library. Only the second event is relevant to the instant motions.2 Specifically at issue is Plaintiff’s allegation that on April 27, 2020, Plaintiff was sent to Meharry General Hospital where he saw Dr. Tiwalade Awosanya.3 Plaintiff claims that Dr. Awosanya “ordered” that he use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). As of June 3, 2020,

Plaintiff was allegedly informed that approval for the CGM was still pending with Wellpath. Plaintiff provided additional facts in support of this claim in his Second Motion for TRO. LEGAL STANDARD Temporary restraining orders (“TRO”) and preliminary injunctions are considered preventive, prohibitory, or protective measures taken pending resolution on the merits, see Clemons v. Board of Educ. of Hillsboro, Ohio, 228 F.2d 853, 856 (6th Cir. 1956), and are considered extraordinary relief. See Detroit Newspaper Publishers Ass’n v. Detroit Typographical Union No. 18, Int’l Typographical Union, 471 F.2d 872, 876 (6th Cir. 1972). A TRO should be granted only if the movant carries his burden of proving that the circumstances clearly demand it.

2 The first event, regarding Plaintiff’s allegation that he requested and was denied Gabapentin 300 mg, is relevant to Plaintiff’s First Motion for a TRO, has been resolved. Nevertheless, the Court will briefly summarize these allegations: Plaintiff alleges that in early September 2019, Wellpath sent him to Eskind Diabetes Center to see Dr. Rhee, where he was proscribed Gabapentin 300 mg twice a day for his diabetic neuropathy pain. Plaintiff alleges that in September or October 2019 he was told by Defendant Baily that his request to Wellpath for Gabapentin was denied. Plaintiff filed his first motion for a temporary restraining order alleging that he had been continuously deprived of medical treatment and prescription medication while incarcerated at the Hill Detention Center and that Wellpath’s failure to prescribe him Gabapentin was a violation of his Eighth Amendment right. (Doc. No. 18 at 2). In response to Plaintiff’s First Motion, Wellpath informed the Court that during a scheduled appointment on October 29, 2019—pursuant to Wellpath’s pain protocol—Plaintiff was prescribed Gabapentin. (Doc. No. 20 at 4; Doc. No. 21-1 at 3). Plaintiff alleges that it is his belief that his request for Gabapentin was only approved as a result of his First Motion for a TRO.

3 Plaintiff refers to “Dr. Awosanya” as “Dr. Oswana.” Overstreet v. Lexington–Fayette Urban County Gov’t, 305 F.3d 566, 573 (6th Cir. 2002). The court must consider and balance four factors in determining whether to afford such relief: (1) the likelihood of the plaintiff’s success on the merits; (2) whether the plaintiff will suffer irreparable injury without the injunction; (3) whether granting the injunction will cause substantial harm to others; and (4) the injunction’s impact on the public interest. Nat’l Viatical, Inc. v. Universal

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Lemay v. Correct Care Solutions/Wellpath Inc., (M.D. Tenn. 2020).

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