Reaves v. Dep't of Corr.

392 F. Supp. 3d 195
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedJuly 30, 2019
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 4:15-40100-TSH
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 392 F. Supp. 3d 195 (Reaves v. Dep't of Corr.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reaves v. Dep't of Corr., 392 F. Supp. 3d 195 (D.D.C. 2019).

Opinion

Mr. Reaves' fingernails have not been cut since last year. According to Dr. Angeles, Mr. Reaves refuses to let certain staff members cut his nails. Dr. Angeles also testified, however, that Mr. Reaves does allow a podiatrist to cut his toenails. In addition, there is nothing in Mr. Reaves' treatment plan that indicates who should trim his nails or how often they should be cut. Mr. Reaves testified that he does not refuse to have his nails cut. His fingernails are currently so long that they curl into the palms of his hands and are causing skin breakdown. He has a fungal infection in one fingernail and several toenails.5 The overgrown nails also increase Mr. Reaves' likelihood of developing Autonomic Dysreflexia.

*203Dr. Angeles testified that she never noticed his fingernails were long.6

In addition to his overgrown nails, Mr. Reaves' overall hygiene is incredibly poor. His bedding is often soiled and covered in dead skin from his legs and feet. His hair and beard are caked with dead skin and food. According to Mr. Reaves, no one offers to brush his teeth or cut his fingernails and he cannot perform these actions himself.7

From January 27, 2019 to February 21, 2019, Mr. Reaves did not move his bowels. While Dr. Angeles indicated in her treatment plan that she must be notified if Mr. Reaves goes more than one day without a bowel movement, she is often unaware when Mr. Reaves goes several days without a bowel movement. Dr. Angeles met with Mr. Reaves four times between January 27, 2019 and February 21, 2019. See Ex. 16, at 33-34, 82-83, 123-24, 155-56. Nonetheless, she testified that she was unaware that Mr. Reaves had gone twenty-six days without a bowel movement.8

Dr. Morse testified that Mr. Reaves' bowel program is inadequate. According to her, after several days without a bowel movement, treating physicians should order an x-ray, followed by magnesium citrate taken orally, and then another x-ray. This severe constipation puts Mr. Reaves at risk of developing Autonomic Dysreflexia. It also puts Mr. Reaves at risk of a bowel rupture, stroke, fistula, and can impact the function of other organs

On several occasions, DOC staff have ordered medical staff to leave Mr. Reaves' room while providing care. Consequently, staff has left Mr. Reaves while bathing him, leaving him naked and wet without clothes or blankets. Mr. Reaves cannot put on his clothes or pull up his blankets. Instead, he is forced to wait until the next shift starts before staff can assist him.

Mr. Reaves is a difficult patient. He admits that he often swears at staff. When he has an outburst, correctional officers often remove medical staff from Mr. Reaves' cell. Mr. Reaves testified that on several occasions, this has occurred during his bath. See e.g. , Ex. 21, at 1. Consequently, Mr. Reaves was left naked, wet, and without blankets until the next shift assisted him.9 Mr. Reaves also regularly refuses care. See generally Ex. 35. Often, those refusals occur, when care is offered by certain staff members. For instance, Mr. Reaves does not accept care from RN Kayla Hall or CNA Coleen Johnson.10 He has filed grievances informing Dr. Angeles that he will not accept care offered by *204those staff members.11 The Court appointed monitor repeatedly recommended that CNA Johnson no longer offer care to Mr. Reaves. See, e.g. , Docket No. 225, at 2 ("Again, I reiterate that in the best interests of all parties involved, Ms. Johnson should not have any further contact with Mr. Reaves." (emphasis in original)). Defendant Collins testified that the DOC failed to comply with these recommendations despite knowing that they were akin to orders from this Court.

The monitor also recognized some of the deficiencies in Mr. Reaves noted above. For instance, on October 31, 2016, the monitor noted that "Mr. Reaves has still not been seen by a spinal cord case specialist since this Honorable Court's Order" and that "too much time has passed without this examination occurring. On numerous occasions, this Honorable Court has placed significant emphasis on this occurring, yet to date it has not." (Docket No. 113, at 2). On April 6, 2017, the monitor noted photographs "supportive of [the] allegation" that Mr. Reaves received "a lack of appropriate care." (Docket No. 155, at 2). The same day, the monitor noted that "Dr. Cho's recommendations are not followed as vigorously as might be expected given this Court's Order and impending trial." Id. Specifically, the monitor repeatedly reported that the DOC has still not provided an air mattress overlay recommended by Dr. Cho. See Docket No. 200, at 2; Docket No. 203, at 1; Docket No. 207, at 2; Docket No. 209, at 2; Docket No. 212, at 1; Docket No. 225, at 2. The Defendants contended that the overlay would interfere with the ability to effectively weigh Reaves, since the scale was in his bed. (Docket No. 207, at 2). However, the monitor seemed to question the sincerity of this rationale by observing that "it doesn't appear that Mr. Reaves is weighed on a regular basis." Id.

Before testifying at this trial, Dr. Morse again examined Mr. Reaves. She concluded that he presently suffers from severe complications of his injury. She also noted a marked decline in his condition since she last saw him in December 2015, which she attributes to a lack of proper medical attention.

Rulings of Law

The purpose of injunctive relieve is to prevent future violations. United States v. W.T. Grant Co. , 345 U.S. 629, 633, 73 S.Ct. 894, 97 L.Ed. 1303 (1953) ; Swift & Co. v. United States , 276 U.S. 311, 326, 48 S.Ct. 311, 72 L.Ed. 587 (1928). "[T]he determination whether circumstances warrant injunctive relief lies in the discretion of the trial court, and the burden of persuasion lies with the moving party." Lovell v. Brennan , 728 F.2d 560, 563 (1st Cir. 1984) (citation omitted).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
392 F. Supp. 3d 195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reaves-v-dept-of-corr-dcd-2019.