Frenchis Abraham v. Yvonne McDonald

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 6:11-cv-00046-RMG Copies to all parties and the district court/agency. [998932995]. Mailed to: Frenchis Gerald Abraham. [12-6716]

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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 12-6716

FRENCHIS GERALD ABRAHAM,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
v.
YVONNE MCDONALD, RN; JUDY RABON, RN; JON E. OZMINT,
Director; A. J. PADULA, Warden; DOCTOR MOORE; MARCUS A.
PRATT, LPN; DOCTOR BENOIR, MD; BENJAMIN F. LEWIS, JR., MD;
JENNIFER N. BOWMAN, MAT; SAMANTHA F. MCCOY, MAT; FRAN
CHAMBERS, LPN; MARIETTA DINGLE, Admin Asst,
Defendants - Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
South Carolina, at Greenville.
Richard M. Gergel, District
Judge. (6:11-cv-00046-RMG)

Submitted:

August 31, 2012

Decided:

September 7, 2012

Before MOTZ, GREGORY, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.

Vacated and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Frenchis Gerald Abraham, Appellant Pro Se.
Samuel F. Arthur,
III, AIKEN, BRIDGES, NUNN, ELLIOTT & TYLER, PA, Florence, South
Carolina, for Appellees.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Frenchis Abraham, a South Carolina inmate, filed this
action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2006), seeking relief on his
claim

that

Amendment.

Defendants

violated

his

rights

under

the

Eighth

Abraham alleged that Defendants displayed deliberate

indifference to his serious medical needs by preventing timely
and adequate treatment for his splenic cyst condition.

Although

the magistrate judge recommended denying summary judgment, the
district court concluded that no issue of fact remained and that
based on the facts alleged, the acknowledged delay in Abraham’s
treatment

did

not

cause

him

substantial

harm.

Because

we

believe the substantial harm issue is not, in this case, subject
to

resolution

district

at

court’s

the
grant

summary
of

judgment

summary

stage,

judgment

we

vacate

the

and

remand

for

further proceedings.
We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, viewing
the facts and reasonable inferences in the light most favorable
to the nonmoving party.

Dulaney v. Packaging Corp. of Am., 673

F.3d 323, 330 (4th Cir. 2012).

A court must “grant summary

judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as
to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a
matter of law.”

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

“[D]eliberate indifference to serious medical needs of
prisoners constitutes the unnecessary and wanton infliction of
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pain” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.
429 U.S. 97, 104 (1976).

Estelle v. Gamble,

A serious medical need “is one that

has been diagnosed by a physician as mandating treatment or one
that is so obvious that even a lay person would easily recognize
the necessity for a doctor’s attention.”
F.3d

225,

241

omitted).

(4th

Cir.

of

difficulty

urinating,

diagnosed

(internal

quotation

marks

We conclude that Abraham’s cysts, causing repeated

instances

serious

2008)

Iko v. Shreve, 535

abdominal

medical
the

pain,

and

vomiting,

blood

in

condition.

problem

and

the

difficulty
urine,

Moreover,
prescribed

eating,

constituted

doctors

treatment

a

initially

in

2009;

no

significant treatment occurred until 2011.
To

show

a

defendant’s

deliberate

indifference

to

a

serious medical need, a prisoner must allege the defendant knew
of and disregarded “the risk posed by” that need.

Id.

“[A]n

inadvertent failure to provide adequate medical care” does not
satisfy the standard, and thus mere negligence in diagnosis or
treatment

is

Estelle,

429

insufficient
U.S.

at

to

state

105-06.

a

Such

constitutional

claim.

indifference

can

be

displayed, however, through the response of prison doctors and
other

institutional

including

ignoring

personnel
an

to

inmate’s

medically necessary treatment.

inmate’s

serious

Id.

3

an

medical

condition

or

needs,

delaying

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“A

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delay

indifference

in

if

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treatment

the

delay

may

constitute

exacerbated

unnecessarily prolonged an inmate’s pain.”
612

F.3d

summary

636,

640

dismissal

(7th

of

Cir.

2010)

complaint

the

injury

or

McGowan v. Hulick,

(vacating

alleging

deliberate

and

three-month

remanding
delay

in

dental treatment); see Smith v. Smith, 589 F.3d 736, 738-39 (4th
Cir. 2009) (finding claim of delay in administering prescribed
medical treatment stated an Eighth Amendment claim).
In

granting

summary

judgment

in

this

case,

the

district court reasoned that Abraham did not suffer substantial
harm from the acknowledged delay in treatment for his splenic
cyst.

However,

we

perceive

whether

Abraham

did,

in

a

genuine

fact,

suffer

issue
such

of

fact

harm.

as

to

Abraham

regularly reported to medical staff abdominal pain, vomiting and
blood in his urine.
In

his

filings

in

Abraham also reported being unable to eat.
the

district

court,

Abraham

complained

of

“chronic and serious pain” that significantly affected his daily
activities, such as “trouble swallowing food, [bowel trouble,]
and trouble urinating.”

Additionally, Abraham continued to have

pain following an aspiration procedure, prompting a doctor to
order

another

CT

scan.

Abraham’s

cysts

were

pervasive,

ultimately requiring that he undergo more extensive surgery.

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Accordingly, we vacate the grant of summary judgment
and

remand

for

further

proceedings. *

We

dispense

with

oral

argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately
presented in the materials before the court and argument would
not aid the decisional process.
VACATED AND REMANDED

*

We express no opinion on the claims of immunity asserted
by Defendants below, as the district court has not yet addressed
the issue of immunity.

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