Randolph v. Cervantes

950 F. Supp. 771, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19656, 1996 WL 755157
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedDecember 30, 1996
Docket2:95-cv-00259
StatusPublished

This text of 950 F. Supp. 771 (Randolph v. Cervantes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Randolph v. Cervantes, 950 F. Supp. 771, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19656, 1996 WL 755157 (S.D. Miss. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

PICKERING, District Judge.

This cause is before the Court on Cross Motions for Summary Judgment. The Court, having reviewed the motions, the briefs of the parties, the authorities cited and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, finds as follows to-wit:

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Deborah Randolph was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 1978 at the age of 17 years. Prior to the incident which gave rise to the instant litigation, Randolph was involuntarily committed to state mental hospitals on no less than nine occasions and she had a known history of violent and self-destructive behavior. In December 1991 Deborah’s mother, Blanche Randolph, again initiated involuntary commitment proceedings after Deborah allegedly set fire to her mother’s mobile home, causing significant damage. Deborah’s mother would not allow Deborah to reside with her after the incident of the fire. On December 11,1991, the sanity hearing, initiated by Deborah’s mother, was conducted in Forrest County Chancery Court. After considering all the testimony, including that of Pine Belt Mental Health Center caseworker A1 Cervantes, the chancellor ordered Deborah to submit to outpatient treatment at Pine Belt Mental Health Center; said treatment was to be supervised by the above-mentioned Cervantes.

Deborah Randolph was released on her own recognizance and took up residence at a Section 8 apartment on Florence Street. Deborah remained at that address until June 1992 when she was evicted for failing to comply with her rent agreement. Mr. Cervantes assisted Deborah in applying for residence at Pine Hill Apartments, a complex owned and operated by Pine Belt Mental Healthcare. Deborah’s application was approved and she took up residence at Pine Hill in late June 1992. As a condition to approval of lease applications, all prospective Pine Hill residents must agree to abide by Pine Hill Apartments’ rules and to participate in various programs sponsored by Pine Belt Mental Healthcare. Residence at Pine Hill is otherwise voluntary and either party to the lease agreement may terminate the lease by giving 30 days notice. Pine Belt Mental Healthcare provided counseling to Plaintiff, helped with her financial planning, helped her take her medication, provided transportation and other like assistance. Deborah also received social security disability benefits and SSI benefits. Since Deborah’s mother felt she could not take care of her after the fire incident, Deborah was taken care of by various governmental or quasi-governmental programs.

On August 18, 1992 Deborah Randolph found a used- syringe in a garbage receptacle utilized by a neighboring resident who was likewise being assisted by Pine Belt Mental Healthcare and who happened to be an insulin dependent diabetic. She took some of that neighbor’s insulin and injected it into each of her eyes. Shortly thereafter, Deborah contacted Mr. Cervantes and complained of discomfort with her eyes. Mr. Cervantes responded to Deborah’s complaint and visited her at the apartment complex. He noted that Deborah’s eyes indeed appeared irritat *773 ed, but Deborah responded negatively when questioned about whether she had done anything to her eyes. Cervantes assisted Ms. Randolph in washing out her eyes and left. He returned to check on Deborah later that day and again assisted her in bathing her eyes; he further decided that in the event the condition was no better by morning, then he would escort her to a doctor. On the morning of August 19,1992, Cervantes again visited Ms. Randolph and noted that her eye condition appeared to have worsened — Cervantes then drove Deborah to the emergency room. When questioned by the emergency room physician, Deborah confessed to having injected her eyes with insulin. Despite emergency surgery, Deborah lost one eye entirely and has only limited light perception in the second eye.

Deborah’s mother, acting as conservator, filed the instant lawsuit in August 1995, alleging a violation of Deborah’s right to substantive due process in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and seeking recovery of actual, compensatory, hedonic, punitive and exemplary damages. No conservator had ever been appointed for Deborah Randolph until her mother was appointed for the purpose of filing this lawsuit. This cause is now before the Court on each party’s Motion for Summary Judgment on the issue of liability.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 56(e) authorizes summary judgment where “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Celotex Corporation ¶. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The existence of a material question of fact is a question of law that the district court is bound to consider before granting summary judgment. John v. State of La. (Bd. Of T. For State C. & U.), 757 F.2d 698, 712 (5th Cir.1985).

A Judge’s function at the summary judgment stage is not himself to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter, but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial. There is no issue for trial unless there is sufficient evidence favoring the non-moving party for a jury to return a verdict for that party. If the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly probative, summary judgment should be granted. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. .242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

Although Rule 56 is peculiarly adapted to the disposition of legal questions, it is not limited to that role. Professional Managers, Inc. v. Fawer, Brian, Hardy & Zatzkis, 799 F.2d 218, 222 (5th Cir.1986). “The mere existence-of a disputed factual issue, therefore, does not foreclose summary judgment. The dispute must be genuine, and the facts must be material.” Id. “With regard to ‘materiality’, only those disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the lawsuit under the governing substantive law will preclude summary judgment.” Phillips Oil Company v. OKC Corporation, 812 F.2d 265, 272 (5th Cir.1987). Where “the summary judgment evidence establishes that one of the essential elements of the plaintiffs cause of action does not exist as a matter of law, ... all other contested issues of fact are rendered immaterial. See Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2552.” Topalian v. Ehrman, 954 F.2d 1125, 1138 (5th Cir.1992).

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Bluebook (online)
950 F. Supp. 771, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19656, 1996 WL 755157, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/randolph-v-cervantes-mssd-1996.