Opinion ID: 801040
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Warden McDaniel and Associate Warden Endel

Text: Snow argues that the prison administrators are liable for the medical staff’s Eighth Amendment violations because the administrators were aware of Snow’s hip condition and of the medical staff’s inadequate treatment and yet failed to act or order changes to customs and policies. The defendants argue that there is no evidence in the record that Warden McDaniel or other administrators were personally involved in any of the medical treatment decisions. [9] “Under Section 1983, supervisory officials are not liable for actions of subordinates on any theory of vicarious liability.” Hansen v. Black, 885 F.2d 642, 645-46 (9th Cir. 1989). A supervisor may be liable only if (1) he or she is personally involved in the constitutional deprivation, or (2) there is “a sufficient causal connection between the supervisor’s wrongful conduct and the constitutional violation.” Id. at 646. A supervisor may be liable if the supervisor knew of the violations and failed to act to prevent them. Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 1040, 1045 (9th Cir. 1989). [10] During her deposition, a former NDOC nurse testified that the warden and his assistants were aware of all grievances regarding inappropriate medical treatment. The record shows that Snow submitted several grievances about the denial of the recommended hip surgery. Also, Warden McDaniel and Associate Warden Endel personally reviewed the “no-kneel” order—which explicitly states that Snow “needs hip replacement”—and other accommodations made on behalf of Snow for his hip condition. Through these orders and grievSNOW v. MCDANIEL 5765 ances, Snow has sufficiently demonstrated that Warden McDaniel and Associate Warden Endel were aware of his serious hip condition. Because they were aware Snow needed surgery and failed to act to prevent further harm, Warden McDaniel and Associate Warden Endel are not entitled to summary judgment. Further, the former nurse also testified that Warden McDaniel told medical staff: “If one of these [death row] inmates gets deathly ill, don’t knock yourself out to save their life. There’s plenty more to take their place.” Thus, there is also a material issue of fact as to whether Warden McDaniel failed to act to prevent the medically unacceptable care in Snow’s case because of animus towards death row inmates.