Court notes, but does not reach issue of whether Kingsley requires objective test on denial of medical care claim; court hold defendant was at most negligent and that would not meet either test for a constitutional violation.
Court find plausible claim against one officer for denial of medical care for prisoner who died from acute symptoms related to withdrawal from heroin, affords other officers qualified immunity; court assumes without deciding that severe opioid withdrawal constituted a sufficiently serious medical need; court concludes frequent vomiting alone does not present and obvious risk of severe and dangerous withdrawal, but that bloody vomiting witnessed by one officer does.
Defendants were entitled to qualified immunity for death of jail inmate due to acute asthma exacerbation and drug withdrawal where decedent was conscious, able to communicate and told officers he did not want medical assistance, although decedent vomited, defecated on himself, and displayed “seizure-like” movement.
Jury could find deliberate indifference where officers observed arrestee violently bang his head against interior of police car over 40 times during transport, but provided no medical care.
Defendants would be liable where they were subjectively aware that detainee was suicidal, and yet gave him a loose blanket, which they knew was a frequent means of suicide.
District Court granted pretrial detainees’ motion for TRO and in part their motion for preliminary injunction based on conditions of confinement during COVID-19 pandemic and seeking immediate release of all medically vulnerable detainees, but Court of Appeals granted a stay pending appeal.
Mentally ill man, afraid to drink anything but bottled water, allowed to die of dehydration in jail; neglect of his serious psychiatric needs; survived by his mother.
32 y.o. man denied medical care in jail died of meningitis and pneumonia while jailers assumed he was detoxing from heroin; survived by mother.
Epileptic man with numerous pre-existing conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and alcoholism, was denied seizure medication for 20 days in jail by jail’s private, for-profit medical company; man sustained multiple seizures including one for 7.5 hours; Plaintiff survived, with permanent brain damage.
50 y.o. man died in jail due to lack of medical care when he developed a burst blood vessel in his stomach; survived by mother.