United States Fourth Circuit

In an inmate's 42 U.S.C. section 1983 suit against a prison nurse claiming deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs, district court's judgment in favor of the defendant is reversed and remanded where: 1) the inmate made out a claim for a deliberate indifference and the district court erred in finding that he failed to state a claim under the Eighth Amendment; and 2) because the district court premised both the grant of the motion to dismiss and qualified immunity on its finding that plaintiff failed to allege deliberate indifference in his complaint, the immunity analysis was prematurely concluded on the erroneous basis that plaintiff did not plead facts sufficient to indicate defendant had deliberate indifference to his medical need.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/28/2009
• Published 12/28/2009

Judges

• Before MICHAEL and GREGORY, Circuit Judges, and BENSON E. LEGG, Chief United States District Judge for the District of Maryland, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Jamal Malik Edwards, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, Chicago, Illinois, for Appellant.  Samuel F. Arthur, III, Aiken, Bridges, Nunn, Elliott & Tyler, PA, Florence, South Carolina, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  William E. Devitt, P.C., Naima Garvin, Rebecca P. Piper, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, Chicago, Illinois, for Appellant.