David Pride, Jr. v. M. Correa , 533 F. App'x 745 ( 2013 )


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  •                                                                           FILED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                          JUL 16 2013
    MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT                        U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    DAVID CODELL PRIDE, Jr.,                       No. 10-56036
    Plaintiff - Appellant,            D.C. No. 3:07-cv-01382-BEN-
    JMA
    v.                                           Southern District of California,
    San Diego
    M. CORREA; LEVIN, Dr.; T. OCHOA,
    Warden; SANTIAGO, Dr.,
    ORDER
    Defendants - Appellees.
    Before: PREGERSON, NOONAN, and PAEZ, Circuit Judges.
    Pride’s request for publication is GRANTED. The memorandum disposition
    filed on December 27, 2012, is withdrawn. A published opinion along with a new
    memorandum disposition will be filed concurrently with this order.
    IT IS SO ORDERED.
    FILED
    NOT FOR PUBLICATION                                JUL 16 2013
    MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                         U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
    DAVID CODELL PRIDE, Jr.,                          No. 10-56036
    Plaintiff - Appellant,              D.C. No. 3:07-cv-01382-BEN-
    JMA
    v.
    M. CORREA; LEVIN, Dr.; T. OCHOA,                  MEMORANDUM*
    Warden; SANTIAGO, Dr.,
    Defendants - Appellees.
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Southern District of California
    Roger T. Benitez, District Judge, Presiding
    Argued and Submitted December 6, 2012
    Pasadena, California
    Before: PREGERSON, NOONAN, and PAEZ, Circuit Judges.
    Plaintiff David Pride, a California prisoner, appeals from the district court’s:
    (1) grant of defendants’ motion for summary judgment; and (2) denial of Pride’s
    *
    This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
    except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
    motion for a continuance to conduct discovery.1 We have jurisdiction pursuant to
    
    28 U.S.C. § 1291
    .
    We hold that the district court erred by granting summary judgment in favor
    of defendants Dr. Levin and Nurse Correa. We affirm the district court’s grant of
    summary judgment in favor of defendants Dr. Santiago and Warden Ochoa. We
    find that the district court erred by denying Pride’s motion to continue the hearing
    on defendants’ motion for summary judgment pending further discovery. We
    remand for further proceedings consistent with this disposition.
    I.    Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment
    A.     Dr. Levin and Nurse Correa
    We review a grant of summary judgment de novo. Citicorp Real Estate, Inc.
    v. Smith, 
    155 F.3d 1097
    , 1103 (9th Cir. 1998). In light of Pride’s medical records
    showing chronic and substantial pain resulting from a permanent shoulder injury
    caused by a gunshot wound, and from a knee injury, Pride has established a
    genuine issue of material fact on whether he has a serious medical need. Clement
    v. Gomez, 
    298 F.3d 898
    , 904 (9th Cir. 2002). Genuine issues of material fact also
    1
    We address the district court’s grant of defendants’ motion to dismiss
    Pride’s claim for injunctive relief in a concurrently-filed opinion.
    -2-
    exist on whether Dr. Levin and Nurse Correa were deliberately indifferent to
    Pride’s medical needs. See Farmer v. Brennan, 
    511 U.S. 825
    , 837 (1994).
    There is no evidence in the record showing that the Chrono Committee’s
    denial of Dr. Santiago’s requests for Pride was based on medical reasons. The
    record also does not identify the names of the Chrono Committee doctors, who
    purportedly denied Dr. Santiago’s requests. Viewing the evidence in a light most
    favorable to Pride raises a reasonable inference that the Chrono Committee’s
    decision constituted an inferior medical opinion when compared to Dr. Santiago’s
    recommendation as Pride’s treating physician. See e.g., Snow v. McDaniel, 
    681 F.3d 978
     (9th Cir. 2012) (concluding that a triable issue existed as to deliberate
    indifference where a panel of doctors repeatedly denied the recommendation made
    by plaintiff’s treating doctor and two orthopedic surgeons that plaintiff undergo
    surgery); Hamilton v. Endell, 
    981 F.2d 1062
     (9th Cir. 1992) (holding that
    defendants may have acted with deliberate indifference by choosing to rely on a
    doctor’s “inferior” medical opinion, which was based solely on standard medical
    protocol, instead of on plaintiff’s treating physician and surgeon).
    Moreover, it is undisputed that Nurse Correa was unqualified to be on the
    Chrono Committee. But Dr. Levin sent Nurse Correa to the Chrono Committee as
    his representative and Nurse Correa signed the denial on Dr. Levin’s behalf. See
    -3-
    Toussaint v. McCarthy, 
    801 F.2d 1080
    , 1111-12 (9th Cir. 1986) (reversing
    summary judgment in favor of defendants because if registered nurses provided “a
    number of [medical] services which they [were] not qualified to perform,” this
    would demonstrate deliberate indifference), abrogated in part on other grounds by
    Sandin v. Conner, 
    515 U.S. 472
     (1995)).
    Accordingly, triable issues of material fact exist as to whether: (1) the
    Chrono Committee’s decision was an inferior medical opinion when compared to
    Dr. Santiago’s opinion; (2) Dr. Levin and Nurse Correa acted with deliberate
    indifference in denying Pride’s Second Level Review given the lack of medical
    reasons for the Chrono Committee’s decision; and (3) Dr. Levin and Nurse Correa
    acted with deliberate indifference when Nurse Correa attended the Chrono
    Committee for Dr. Levin.2
    B.    Dr. Santiago
    The district court properly granted summary judgment in favor of Dr.
    Santiago. At most, Dr. Santiago’s conduct amounts to negligence, not deliberate
    indifference. Wood v. Housewright, 
    900 F.2d 1332
    , 1334-35 (9th Cir. 1990) (gross
    2
    Defendants’ argument that Pride never followed up with his treating
    physician is unpersuasive. Pride claims that he saw his doctor and spoke about his
    appeal. He also visited with additional doctors who issued the same chronos as Dr.
    Santiago. Thus, whether Pride followed through with instruction to see his treating
    physicians is also a triable issue of material fact.
    -4-
    negligence and mere medical malpractice do not constitute deliberate indifference).
    C.     Warden Ochoa
    The district court also properly granted summary judgment in favor of
    Warden Ochoa. Ochoa was neither personally involved with the alleged
    constitutional violation nor was his policy sufficiently causally connected to the
    violation. See Redman v. County of San Diego, 
    942 F.2d 1435
    , 1454-55 (9th Cir.
    1991) (holding that for a supervisor to be individually liable he must be personally
    involved in the constitutional deprivation, or his policy must be sufficiently
    causally connected to the constitutional violation).
    II.   Pride’s Motion for Continuance to Conduct Discovery
    We review for abuse of discretion the district court’s denial of a motion to
    continue a summary judgment hearing pending further discovery. Michelman v.
    Lincoln Nat. Life Ins. Co., 
    685 F.3d 887
    , 892 (9th Cir. 2012). The district court
    abused its discretion by requiring the discovery sought by Pride under Rule 56(d)
    to be obtained from defendants, rather than from a third-party. See Koon v. United
    States, 
    518 U.S. 81
    , 100 (1996) (“A district court by definition abuses its discretion
    when it makes an error of law.”).
    Moreover, Pride demonstrated that the additional discovery would have
    precluded summary judgment, thus, the district court’s denial of Pride’s motion
    -5-
    was an abuse of discretion. See VISA Int’l Serv. Ass’n v. Bankcard Holders of Am.,
    
    784 F.2d 1472
    , 1475 (9th Cir. 1986) (stating that denial is disfavored when a
    plaintiff specifically identifies relevant information and points to “some basis” for
    its existence). Specifically, Pride’s requested information from Nurse Garcia
    regarding his appointments with doctors would have disproved defendants’ claim
    that Pride did not go back to his doctors as instructed. Pride’s requested
    information regarding attempts by defendants to fabricate documentation during
    Pride’s appeal would have demonstrated personal animosity, which bears on the
    issue of deliberate indifference. See Jackson v. McIntosh, 
    90 F.3d 330
    , 332 (9th
    Cir. 1996) (holding that “personal animosity” may establish deliberate
    indifference). In his motion, Pride substantiated that Garcia would possess the
    requested discovery because she interviewed Pride on issues raised in his inmate
    appeal, was involved in the grievance process, and filled out one of the appeal
    forms.
    Thus, on remand, Pride must be allowed additional discovery.3
    3
    Pride did not seek discovery relating to Dr. Santiago. Although Pride
    sought information from Garcia on Ochoa’s prison mattress policy, that discovery
    would not have precluded summary judgment. Thus, summary judgment in favor
    of Dr. Santiago and Warden Ochoa is not subject to reversal because of the district
    court’s erroneous ruling on Pride’s motion for a continuance.
    -6-
    III.   Conclusion
    The district court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of defendants
    is REVERSED in part and AFFIRMED in part. The district court’s order denying
    Pride’s motion for discovery is REVERSED; on remand, Pride must be allowed
    additional discovery. Pride shall recover his costs on appeal.
    -7-