Opinion ID: 78477
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Townsend's Complaint and the Deputies' Motion for Summary Judgment

Text: Townsend filed a complaint against Jefferson County, Sheriff Mike Hale, Deputy Chief J. Paul Costa, Deputy Chambers, Deputy Daniels, and Nurse Langston. Townsend alleged that Chambers and Daniels violated her clearly established right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in three ways: (1) by acting with deliberate indifference to Townsend's serious medical need, (2) by failing to provide adequate medical treatment to Townsend, and (3) by failing to intervene when Townsend received inadequate medical care. After discovery, the deputies moved for summary judgment. The deputies argued that they were entitled to qualified immunity because they were acting within their discretionary authority when the alleged violation of Townsend's rights occurred and Townsend failed to present evidence that the deputies violated her clearly established civil rights. The deputies also moved to strike Brown's statement on the grounds that it was not provided to them during discovery and contained inadmissable hearsay. The district court denied the deputies' motion for summary judgment. The district court dismissed Townsend's claim that the deputies failed to provide adequate medical treatment as duplicative of her claim that the deputies acted with deliberate indifference to her serious medical need, but the district court denied the motion for summary judgment as to Townsend's claims of deliberate indifference and failure to intervene. The district court ruled that the deputies were acting within their discretionary authority when the allegedly wrongful acts took place, but that the deputies were not entitled to qualified immunity because Townsend had presented evidence that the deputies violated her clearly established rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The district court also denied the deputies' motion to strike Brown's statement, but the district court note[d] that it did not rely on the facts contained in the statement of Kiana Brown in ruling on the motions for summary judgment, and further, that it does not have enough information at this juncture to determine whether Brown's statement contained inadmissible hearsay. As to the deputies' objection about the late disclosure, the district court stated, [the deputies] have the court's permission to depose Kiana Brown before trial despite the expiration of the discovery deadline.