Opinion ID: 584271
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Bowers

Text: 23 Appellants assert that Dr. Bowers neither knew nor should have known that his conduct violated Taylor's right to treatment of a serious medical condition. Although Bowers concedes that he questioned Taylor about ingestion of contraband, he maintains that the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from this evidence is that Bowers attempted to treat a small bowel obstruction by inserting a nasogastric tube. Appellants' Br. at 25-26. Taylor contends that a reasonable jury could conclude, on the basis of Bowers's conduct as a whole, that his treatment rose to the level of deliberate indifference to a serious medical need. Appellee's Br. at 13-14. 24 Dr. Bowers stated in his deposition that he received information around noon on February 3, 1987 that Taylor might have swallowed a balloon. App. 72. His phone log confirms this contention. Id. at 85. Bowers stated that he went to speak with Taylor a few hours later to try to get him to cooperate with the [nasogastric] tube and to tell us truthfully what had happened with the balloon. Id. at 77. He indicated to Taylor, if we knew it was a balloon, that would help us to get to the cause of the problem sooner. Id. at 102. On Taylor's MSP hospital progress report, Bowers noted the following: 25 P[atien]t denies swallowing anything. In mild to mod[erate] distress [with] hiccups. Abd[ominal] x ray shows gaseous dilation et [sic] air fluid levels. Explained this to p[atien]t as well as why we need to know what has happened et [sic] why he needs to follow instructions. Explained consequences. 26 Id. at 128 (emphasis added). 27 Bowers denied that he withheld treatment in order to coerce Taylor to admit that he swallowed a drug balloon. Id. at 102. Bowers asserted that he would have called a surgeon sooner had Taylor cooperated by keeping the nasogastric tube in place. Id. at 88, 98. Bowers also conceded that if he had not believed Taylor's denials, he might have called a surgeon a little bit sooner. Id. at 103. 28 After reviewing the record as a whole, we conclude that Taylor produced sufficient evidence to create a genuine issue as to whether Bowers intentionally prolonged surgical intervention in order to prompt the inmate to confess that he swallowed a drug-filled balloon. Bowers's conversation with the patient, his deposition testimony, and his notations in the patient's progress report create an issue that Bowers violated clearly established law. Accordingly, Bowers is not entitled to qualified immunity. Mitchell, 472 U.S. at 526, 105 S.Ct. at 2815; Hay, 931 F.2d at 460. We affirm the denial of summary judgment with respect to Dr. Bowers only. Our affirmance does not in any way indicate any view, however, of the validity of the prisoner's case against Bowers. 29 We need not discuss extensively appellants' second claim of error, which relates to an alleged eleventh amendment bar to Taylor's state law negligence claims. Appellants allege that the eleventh amendment bars Taylor from seeking monetary relief from Bowers because the state is the real party in interest. We believe that the appellants misread the applicable law. 3 30 Taylor sued Bowers for damages in his official and individual capacity, alleging violations of the United States Constitution and state law. The eleventh amendment does not prohibit a suit for damages against a state officer in his individual capacity. De Young v. Patten, 898 F.2d 628, 635 (8th Cir.1990); Nix v. Norman, 879 F.2d 429, 432-33 & n. 3 (8th Cir.1989). Nor does the eleventh amendment shield Bowers from liability in his official capacity for acts which violate the United States Constitution. Norman, 879 F.2d at 432 (citing Ex Parte Young, 209 U.S. 123, 28 S.Ct. 441, 52 L.Ed. 714 (1908)). Accordingly, no jurisdictional bar precludes us from remanding to the district court.