In Laureano v. Doe, et al., No. 14-cv-2144, U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid granted summary judgment in favor of nurses employed by the county jail on Plaintiff Gilberto Laureano’s deliberate indifference claims. The plaintiff-inmate suffered from a litany of medical conditions necessitating multiple surgeries and continuing treatment. He alleged that the defendants failed to timely diagnose his medical conditions, schedule timely referrals, and administrate pain medication as prescribed. Judge Shadid found that the undisputed facts did not demonstrate that the nursing staff failed to exercise appropriate medical judgment. The plaintiff was unable to identify specific shortcomings of the nurses, claiming instead that generally the defendants did very little to alleviate his pain. The Court found his broad allegations insufficient in light of the record of his extensive medical treatment. Moreover, plaintiff’s failure to show that he suffered harm from the delay in diagnosis, rather than the underlying condition itself, defeated plaintiff’s claims that he did not receive timely referrals. Finally, as to plaintiff’s claims that the nurses failed to administrate his pain medication as prescribed, Judge Shadid held that altering his medication schedule from every 6 hours to every 12 (twice a day) did not rise to the level of a constitutional violation. Michael Condon represented the defendant nurses.
