Filed Date: June 30, 2005
Closed Date: 2009
Clearinghouse coding complete
On June 30, 2005, a transgender inmate filed suit against the Idaho State Board of Corrections in the District Court for Idaho for failing to diagnose and provide treatment for her Gender Dysphoria (formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder and discussed as such in this case). Plaintiff, who was represented by National Center for Lesbian Rights and private attorneys, alleged that defendants were deliberately indifferent to her serious mental health condition in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff named as additional defendants various individual medical personnel and Correctional Medical Services, Inc. a private company contracted to provide medical staffing at Idaho prisons.
Plaintiff alleged that she assigned male at birth but identified as a woman and received hormone therapy prior to her incarceration. Following her incarceration, plaintiff made over 75 requests to prison officials for medical treatment for her condition. All treatment requests were denied. Plaintiff then attempted suicide and cut off her own genitals using a disposable razor, nearly bleeding to death.
Over the next year, the parties engaged in discovery. On December 22, 2006, plaintiff filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. After a court-ordered settlement conference did not result in a resolution of the case, a preliminary injunction hearing was held in July 2007. Following the hearing, the District Court (Judge Mikel Williams) ruled that plaintiff was entitled to female hormone therapy and psychotherapy pending a full trial on the merits. Judge Williams found that "gender identity disorder, left untreated, is a life-threatening mental health condition." Gammett v. Idaho State Bd. of Corrections, 2007 WL 2186896 (D. Idaho). Defendants' subsequent motions for reconsideration of the order granting preliminary injunctive relief to plaintiff and request to terminate the preliminary injunction were denied. Soon after, Judge Williams ordered the State to transport the plaintiff for treatment by an outside physician who specialized in the care of transgender patients and by a local psychologist. Gammett v. Idaho State Bd. of Corrections, 2007 WL 2684750 (D. Idaho).
In September 2007, the defendants filed a motion for summary judgment. This motion was found moot on November 30, 2007 because of the pending Ninth Circuit appeal by a non-party. On appeal to the Ninth Circuit, the parties went through a voluntary in-person mediation on July 10, 2008. The parties were able to reach a tentative settlement of their dispute on May 18, 2009 following the mediation. The appeal to the Ninth Circuit was voluntarily dismissed pursuant to the stipulation of the parties on August 6, 2009. Additionally, the case in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho was dismissed in its entirety with prejudice on August 11, 2009 pursuant to the stipulation of the parties in light of their Ninth Circuit settlement agreement. The exact terms of the settlement agreement are not known, but according to a case summary by National Center for Lesbian Rights, "the case was settled to the satisfaction of all parties." The case is now closed.
Summary Authors
Dan Dalton (9/17/2007)
Elizabeth Heise (10/7/2018)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4717124/parties/gammett-v-idaho-state-board-of-corrections/
Ayoub, Lena (California)
Cooper, Lea C. (Idaho)
Dixon, Bradley J. (Idaho)
Burke, John J. (Idaho)
Collaer, Phillip J. (Idaho)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4717124/gammett-v-idaho-state-board-of-corrections/
Last updated May 13, 2025, 1:13 a.m.
State / Territory: Idaho
Case Type(s):
Healthcare Access and Reproductive Issues
Special Collection(s):
Transgender Healthcare Access Cases
Key Dates
Filing Date: June 30, 2005
Closing Date: 2009
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Transgender inmate in the Idaho state prison who suffered from Gender Identity Disorder and sought hormone therapy.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Prison Health Services, Private Entity/Person
Correctional Medical Services, Inc., Private Entity/Person
Idaho State Board of Corrections (Boise), State
Idaho Department of Corrections, State
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Content of Injunction:
Order Duration: 2007 - 2009
Issues
Discrimination Basis:
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Suicide prevention (facilities)
LGBTQ+:
Medical/Mental Health Care: