Filed Date: Aug. 1, 2005
Closed Date: 2011
Clearinghouse coding complete
On August 1, 2005, a female inmate at the Hardin County Detention Center (HCDC) filed a civil rights class action lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The plaintiff, represented by private counsel, alleged that she and other inmates of the Jail contracted Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) because of inadequate policies and practices to diagnose, treat, isolate, and prevent the spread of MRSA. The plaintiff sought monetary relief, as well as class certification.
On May 15, 2006, the plaintiffs were granted leave to amend their complaint to add claims of additional individual plaintiffs over the objection of defendants that some claims were barred by the statute of limitations. Chapman v. Hardin County, 2006 WL 1382272 (W.D.Ky. 2006). The complaint was amended a second time on July 28, 2006.
On July 30, 2007, the plaintiffs moved for class certification. Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin denied the motion in February 2009, holding there was no single set of operative facts from which all of their claims arose. Whether the HCDC failed to protect Chapman was determined to be "an inquiry complete unto itself." For the same reasons, would-be class members' motion to intervene was denied in May 2009.
The case was dismissed in December 2010, as the plaintiff's counsel withdrew from the case due to an adverse decision by the Sixth Circuit in a separate case against defendant involving a prisoner with MRSA. Wooler v. Hickman County, et al., 377 Fed. Appx. 502 (6th Cir. May 14, 2010). The grant of summary judgment to the HCDC was upheld because the sheriff, physicians, and nurses were not "deliberately indifferent" to the plight of the prisoner.
Summary Authors
Dan Dalton (8/1/2007)
Dan Hofman (3/20/2016)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4676509/parties/chapman-v-hardin-county-kentucky/
Adams, James L. (Kentucky)
Belzley, Gregory A. (Kentucky)
Durham, Matthew Eliot (Kentucky)
Bland, T. Steven (Kentucky)
Blankenship, Stacey A. (Kentucky)
Simpson, Charles Ralph III (Kentucky)
Whalin, Dave (Kentucky)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4676509/chapman-v-hardin-county-kentucky/
Last updated March 20, 2024, 3:15 a.m.
State / Territory: Kentucky
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Aug. 1, 2005
Closing Date: 2011
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
A female inmate at the Hardin County Detention Center who contracted MRSA.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Denied
Defendants
Hardin County (Hardin), County
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Defendant
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General:
Sanitation / living conditions
Affected Sex or Gender:
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: