Opinion ID: 3161987
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: December 2013 Status Conference

Text: The parties met for another status conference on December 19, 2013. UMH personnel related to the district court that Steinger had a surgical consult on September 19, 2013, and the neurosurgeon scheduled Steinger’s surgery for the next day. Steinger, however, refused the surgery on September 20, and refused the surgery on two more occasions. Eventually, UMH discharged Steinger because the surgery was not going to occur. Steinger’s surgeon stated that the procedure would likely have a worse outcome now that Steinger delayed it. Steinger testified that he refused to have surgery on September 20 because he had not met the surgeon and no one had explained the procedure to him or told him about the rehabilitation process. He denied refusing the surgery on the second date that it was scheduled. Steinger stated that, on that occasion, he simply wanted to speak to the surgeon about arrangements for his rehabilitation before consenting to the procedure. After the second attempted surgery, Steinger learned for the first time that he needed work on multiple areas of his spine. He was surprised to hear 7 Case: 14-14081 Date Filed: 12/11/2015 Page: 8 of 16 that. He also learned that pre-surgical testing revealed that he had suffered a heart attack at an unknown time. He returned to Larkin to make arrangements and think things over in light of the new information, and his pain continued to worsen. Steinger told the district court that he still wanted the surgery but only if satisfactory arrangements for his rehabilitation could be made. Steinger’s treating physician at Larkin testified that, despite the pain since his return from UMH, Steinger had a good memory and was “with it 100 percent.” The district court scheduled the trial to begin in April 2014 regardless of whether Steinger had the operation.