Opinion ID: 2808709
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Earls

Text: Earls also claims that he was unaware of a substantial risk of serious harm to Letterman. Like Farnsworth, Earls makes no argument that he took any steps to provide Danial medical aid. Also like Farnsworth, the issue is simply whether Earls had knowledge of the substantial risk of serious harm to Danial such that his inaction would be considered deliberate indifference. Earls attended at a staff meeting in the morning of November 18 at which he learned that the reason he had moved Danial the night before was in part because Danial had been banging his head against the concrete in Danial's concrete cell.4 A short time later, Earls entered the TCU and viewed Danial on the video monitor. Nurse Hook asked Earls to open the cell and told Earls that she could not wake Danial and that Danial had been lying in the same position since midnight (roughly 12 hours). Gastineau also talked to Earls about opening the cell, telling Earls that medical personnel needed to get in because Danial had not moved and Gastineau herself had failed to get a response from Danial despite multiple attempts. Like Farnsworth, Earls knew that only the most at-risk inmates are placed in the padded cell and that medical personnel ask officers to open the padded cell only on rare 4 Earls denies this was discussed at the staff meeting, but the record—taken in the Lettermans' favor—demonstrates Jennings attended a committee meeting along with a Lieutenant in which another member of the prison staff explained why Danial was being moved to the padded cell. - 11 - occasions and only when there is a potential emergency. In response, Earls responded, let sleeping dogs lie and did not open the cell. Earls argues these circumstances are insufficient to show he had knowledge of a substantial risk of serious harm to Danial. Earls relies primarily on his stated belief that Danial was simply sleeping. Earls points to a plethora of evidence that could be used to find Earls was unaware of Danial's needs. But we do not weigh evidence on appeal, Jones, 746 F.3d at 895, and the facts recited above allow a factfinder to infer that Earls was aware of a substantial risk of serious harm. A jury could find that Earls acted inappropriately in light of the risk, and a jury could find Earls recognized the inappropriateness of his complete failure to act. See Krout, 583 F.3d at 567. The district court appropriately denied Earls qualified immunity.