N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
R OB ER T HUGH C OLE,

Pla i ntiff-Appe lla

nt,
v. NANC Y ADAM , M .D.; SUSAN W ADDELL, Nurse ; LAURIE THOM AS, Phy s ic ia n’ s Assista

nt; C A THER INE TIM OSHENKO, R .N.,

De fe nda n ts-Appe lle e s. No. 19-15671 D.C . No. 5:17-c v-05691-B LF
M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Northe rn Distric t of C a lifornia B e th La bson Fre e m an, Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d M ay

3, 2021 ** San Fran c isc o , C a lifornia B e fore : FER

NANDEZ, SILVER

M AN, a nd N.R . SM ITH, C irc uit Judge s. C a lifornia State prisone r R obe rt Hugh C ole a ppe a ls the distric t

c ourt’ s sum m ary judgm e nt in fa

vor of Dr. Na

nc y Ada m and Nurse Susa

n W a d de ll, 

# FIL ED

MAY4 2021 M OLLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a

ppropria te for public a tion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * T he pa ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c i sion without ora l argum e nt. S

e e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2).m e dic a l pe rsonne l at Pe lic a n B ay State Prison, in C o le ’ s a c tion a lle ging de l ibe ra te indiffe re nc e to his se rious m e dic a l ne e ds a nd re late d tort c la im s unde r C a lifornia la w. Se e U.S. C onst. a

m e nd. VIII; 42 U.S.C . § 1983. W e a ffirm
. The distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion in de ny ing C o le ’ s re que st to
a ppoint c ounse l to re pre se nt him
. Se e Palme r v . Valde z , 560 F.3d 965, 970 (9th C ir. 2009); se e also 28 U.S.C
. § 1915(e )(1). No e xc e ptiona l c irc um sta nc e s warra n ting a

ppointm e nt of c ounse l e xiste d
. Se e Palme r , 560 F.3d a t 970; W ilborn
v . Esc alde ron , 789 F.2d 1328, 1331 (9th C i r. 1986). The distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion in de ny ing C o le ’ s m otion to
c om pe l disc ove ry . Se e Halle tt v . Morgan , 296 F.3d 732, 751 (9th C ir. 2002). C ole fa ile d to show tha

t he wa s e ntitle d to the privile ge d doc um e nts he sought, 1 and tha t he wa s a c tua lly

and substa

ntia lly pre judic e d by the de nia l of disc o ve ry . 2 R e vie wing de novo, we c onc lude that the distric t c o urt did not e rr in gran ting sum

m ary judgm e nt to Ada

m and W a dde ll on C ole ’ s de libe ra t e indiffe re nc e c la im s. Se e Hamby v . Hammond

, 821 F.3d 1085, 1090 (9th C ir. 2016); s e e also Fe d. R
. C iv. P. 56(a ). That C ole disa gre e d with thetre atm e nt give n for his pa in, withdra

w a l sy m p tom s, a n d pla nta r fibrom a s “ ‘ doe s not a

m ount to

1 Se e Sanc he

z v . C ity of Santa Ana , 936 F.2d 1027, 1033–34 (9th C ir. 1990). 2 Se e Halle tt , 296 F.3d a

t 751. 2de libe ra t e indiffe re nc e ’ ” on the pa rt of Ada m and W a dde ll. Hamby , 821 F.3d a t 1092. The re wa s no ge nuine dispute of m a te ria l fa c t tha t Ada m and W a dde ll
re nde re d C ole m e d ic a lly

a c c e pta ble tre a tm e nt, a

nd tha t the y we re not a

w are of a ny substa ntia l risk of se rious ha

rm to C ole arising the re from
. Se e id. ; Toguc hi v
. C hung , 391 F.3d 1051, 1057 (9th C ir. 2004). The distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion in de ny ing C o le le ave to a m e nd his c om pla i nt to na

m e two othe r de fe nda

nts. Se eAc ri v . Int’l Ass’n of Mac hinists , 781 F.2d 1393, 1398 (9th C ir. 1986). Thesum m ary judgm e nt re c ord m a de it
a bsolute ly c le ar that the propose d am e ndm e nts we re futile
. Ak htar v . Me

sa , 698 F.3d 1202, 1212 (9th C ir. 2012); Sw e a ne y v . Ada C ounty , 119 F.3d 1385, 1392–93 (9th C ir. 1997). C ole ’ s a lle g ations— that a fe w of his m e t

ha done dose s we re m isse d or de l ay e d, a

nd tha t he re c e ive d a

ne w pre sc ription for his e xisting dosa ge while wa iting to be

se e n by Dr. Ada m
— do not suffic e to spe ll out a de libe ra te indiffe re nc e c la im
. Se e O ’Loughlin v . Doe , 920 F.2d 614, 617 (9th C ir. 1990); W ood v . House w right , 900 F.2d 1332, 1333–35 (9th C ir. 1990). AFFIRM E D.

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