Carswell v. Bay County

• Decision Date: 07 September 1988
• Docket Number: No. 87-3710,87-3710
• Citation: 854 F.2d 454
• Parties: Stephen E. CARSWELL, Plaintiff-Appellee, Cross-Appellant, v. BAY COUNTY, Defendant, Lavelle Pitts, William Grigsby, Graham Belz, Thomas G. Merrill, Defendants-Appellants, Cross-Appellees.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eleventh Circuit

Page 454

854 F.2d 454

Stephen E. CARSWELL, Plaintiff-Appellee, Cross-Appellant, v. BAY COUNTY, Defendant,

Lavelle Pitts, William Grigsby, Graham Belz, Thomas G.

Merrill, Defendants-Appellants, Cross-Appellees.

No. 87-3710.

United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.

Sept. 7, 1988.

Robert P. Gaines, Beggs & Lane, Pensacola, Fla., for Merrill.

Julius F. Parker, Jr., Parker, Skelding, McVoy & Labasky, Tallahassee, Fla., for Pitts, Grigsby & Belz.

Randall C. Berg, Jr., Peter M. Siegel, Florida Justice Institute, Inc., Miami, Fla., for Carswell.

Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Before TJOFLAT, VANCE and COX, Circuit Judges.

VANCE, Circuit Judge:

This action arising under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 involves the failure to provide proper medical treatment to a county jail inmate. The defendants appeal from a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff, Stephen Carswell. Carswell also appeals the district court's application of Florida's collateral source rule. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the district court's judgment.

I. FACTS

On August 21, 1984 Carswell was committed to the Bay County Jail in Panama City, Florida, as a pre-trial detainee. Carswell was not given a physical examination at the time he entered the jail, ¹ but he indicated during the medical screening procedure that he was not suffering from any ailment or taking any medication. At the time he entered Bay County Jail Carswell was 5'11" and weighed approximately 145 pounds.

Over the next eleven weeks Carswell repeatedly requested medical treatment. Complaining of a rash, constipation and significant weight loss, Carswell made numerous written and oral requests for medication and medical attention. Labeled a "complainer," Carswell received the medication he requested, generally milk of magnesia, on some occasions but other requests simply were ignored. On two occasions during this period Graham Belz, a physician's assistant who worked at the jail, examined Carswell. On September 18 Belz prescribed a cream for the skin rash. On October 2 Belz diagnosed Carswell as having tonsillitis and constipation, and prescribed medication accordingly. Carswell, however, continued to complain about health problems.

On November 5, 1984 Carswell was taken to court for arraignment. The public defender observed that the plaintiff "looked like a concentration camp victim." The public defender immediately asked William Grigsby, the jail administrator who had accompanied Carswell to the arraignment, to arrange for medical attention. Despite his own recognition that Carswell was emaciated and needed medical attention, Grigsby testified that upon returning to the jail he simply yelled into a crowded room: "Get this man to see the doctor."

Two days later, on November 7, Belz examined Carswell again. Carswell had then lost approximately fifty-three pounds, and weighed only ninety-two pounds. That evening Carswell was admitted to the hospital where he was diagnosed as a diabetic. Carswell remained hospitalized for approximately two months and eventually recovered.

Carswell brought this action against Bay County, Sheriff Lavelle Pitts, the jail administrator William Grigsby, Graham Belz and Dr. Thomas Merrill, a physician who provided medical services to the inmates pursuant to a contract. The complaint included a section 1983 claim alleging that appellants were deliberately indifferent to Carswell's serious medical needs and pendent state tort claims alleging negligence. ²

The jury returned a verdict in favor of Sheriff Pitts and against Grigsby, Belz and Merrill on the constitutional claim. The jury found compensatory damages on the constitutional claim to be $10,000. On the state law tort claims the jury found Sheriff Pitts negligent and liable for $10,000 in compensatory damages and found Merrill and Belz negligent and responsible for $40,000 in compensatory damages. The jury awarded no punitive damages. The district court entered judgments of $10,000 against Belz, Merrill and Grigsby, jointly and severally, an additional $40,000 against Belz and Merrill, jointly and severally, and $10,000 against Pitts.

II. DEFENDANTS' APPEAL

Appellants raise three issues on appeal: (1) whether a physician under contract with the county to provide medical services to inmates acts "under color of state law" so as to be subject to liability under section 1983; (2) whether there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's finding against Grigsby and Belz of "deliberate indifference" to Carswell's medical needs; and (3) whether the judgment should be vacated due to an inconsistent jury verdict. We find that the district court properly ruled on each of these issues.

A.

To maintain an action under section 1983, a plaintiff must establish that the defendant acted under color of state law. United States v. Classic, 313 U.S. 299, 326, 61 S.Ct. 1031, 1043, 85 L.Ed. 1368 (1941); see Polk County v. Dodson, 454 U.S. 312, 317-18, 102 S.Ct. 445, 449, 70 L.Ed.2d 509 (1981); Ort v. Pinchback, 786 F.2d 1105, 1107 (11th Cir.1986). A person acts under color of state law when that individual exercises power "possessed by virtue of state law and made possible only because the wrongdoer is clothed with the authority of state law...." Classic, 313 U.S. at 326, 61 S.Ct. at 1043.

Appellant Merrill asserts that as a private physician under contract with the Bay County Jail to provide medical services to the inmates, he was not acting under color of state law. Merrill argues that he is not subject to liability under section 1983 because he had no supervisory or custodial duties in the jail and never treated Carswell. Relying on this court's decision in Ancata v. Prison Health Servs., Inc., 769 F.2d 700, 705 (11th Cir.1985), the district court ruled that state action was present. See also Ort, 786 F.2d at 1107 (a private physician who contracted with the state to render services to a prisoner acted under color of state law); Morrison v. Washington County, Ala., 700 F.2d 678, 683-84 (11th Cir.) (doctor who "obtained significant aid from state officials" in making decisions was acting under color of state law), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 864, 104 S.Ct. 195, 78 L.Ed.2d 171 (1983).

This court's position on this issue was recently approved by the Supreme Court in West v. Atkins, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2250, 101 L.Ed.2d 40 (1988). In West the Court held that a private physician who is under contract with a state to provide medical care to inmates acts "under color of state law for purposes of section 1983 when undertaking his duties" to treat an inmate. Id. 108 S.Ct. at 2258. The Court emphasized that it was simply stating explicitly what it had stated implicitly in Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 97 S.Ct. 285, 50 L.Ed.2d 251 (1976). The Court recognized as it had in Estelle, that the state has a constitutional duty to provide adequate medical care to its prison inmates. West, 108 S.Ct. at 2259. The Court then stated that it was the function of the physicians while working for the state, not the amount of time the physicians spend in performance of their duties or the fact that they may be employed by others to perform similar duties, that determines whether they are acting under color of state law. Id. at 2259. We therefore reject Merrill's contention and hold that he acted under color of state law and is liable under section 1983. ³

B.

The second issue raised by appellants is whether there was sufficient evidence against Grigsby and Belz to support the jury's finding of deliberate indifference to Carswell's medical needs. Appellants point out that Belz examined Carswell on three different occasions and that Carswell's numerous requests for laxatives and pain relievers were satisfied. Although they did not diagnose Carswell's condition correctly, Grigsby and Belz contend that in light of their efforts, their conduct did not amount to deliberate indifference.

We think the jury properly could find that the acts of Grigsby and Belz constituted deliberate indifference. The evidence in this case established that Grigsby and Belz had knowledge of Carswell's need for medical care. The record indicates that two persons on the jail's staff, Emergency Medical Technician Monroe and Correctional Officer Eldridge, each recognized Carswell's medical problems and informed Belz of Carswell's serious situation. Each time, however, Belz ignored the warnings. Belz also failed to advise Merrill of Carswell's weakening condition. The evidence further established that Grigsby saw Carswell's deteriorating condition during rounds at the jail, received a request specifically addressed to him from Carswell for medical attention and was asked by the public defender to get Carswell to a doctor. Grigsby still did nothing significant to ensure that Carswell received medical attention.

Under section 1983 "knowledge of the need for medical care and intentional refusal to provide that care has consistently been held to surpass negligence and constitute deliberate indifference." Ancata, 769 F.2d at 704. We believe that with evidence of knowledge the jury could have concluded that the failure to provide Carswell with medical care constituted deliberate indifference. We therefore hold that there was sufficient evidence of deliberate indifference by Grigsby and Belz.

C.

Appellants also argue that the jury's verdict is inconsistent. The jury found that Grigsby, Merrill and Belz were deliberately indifferent to Carswell's medical needs and liable for $10,000 compensatory damages on the constitutional claim. The jury also found that Merrill and Belz were negligent and liable for $40,000 in compensatory damages on the state law claims. Appellants argue that there is "no logical or reasonable way" for the jury to have found that the compensatory damages were $10,000 when caused by the deliberate indifference to medical needs and $40,000 when caused by negligence. Appellants...