Butler v. Glenn, et al.

Summary

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia granted Defendant Mieres’s motion to dismiss based on the third-party release and injunction in Wellpath’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. The court also overruled Plaintiff Butler’s objections and adopted the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation granting summary judgment to Pineiro, Kaigler, and Glenn, including qualified immunity for Pineiro and Kaigler. The action concerned alleged deliberate indifference to Butler’s medical needs while incarcerated.

Holdings

1. The third-party release applied to Butler's claim against Mieres, and Butler's failure to timely opt out permanently enjoined him from pursuing that claim in this court.
2. The district court could not adjudicate Butler's objections to the bankruptcy release; those matters had to be presented to the bankruptcy court.
3. Pineiro and Kaigler were entitled to summary judgment because the record did not permit a reasonable jury to find that either defendant acted with deliberate indifference.
4. Glenn was entitled to summary judgment because the record did not show that he was subjectively aware of an objectively serious acute medical need when he directed Butler to leave the medical unit.
5. Pineiro and Kaigler were entitled to qualified immunity because they acted within their discretionary authority and did not violate Butler's constitutional rights.

Questions Presented

1. Whether Wellpath's Chapter 11 plan released and enjoined Butler's claims against Mieres because Butler was a releasing party, Mieres was a released party, and Butler did not timely opt out.
2. Whether Pineiro and Kaigler acted with deliberate indifference to Butler's serious medical needs by relying on medical personnel to address his medication complaints.
3. Whether Glenn acted with deliberate indifference when he directed Butler to leave the medical unit despite Butler's statement that he believed his blood pressure was elevated.
4. Whether Pineiro and Kaigler were entitled to qualified immunity.

Disposition

dismissed