Mathison v. Moats

Dist. Ct. erred in granting motion for summary judgment by certain defendants-prison officials in section 1983 action alleging that defendants were deliberately indifferent while plaintiff-prisoner was suffering from heart attack, where said defendants directed plaintiff to wait over four hours before allowing plaintiff to go to prison infirmary where others realized that plaintiff had serious cardiac problem. Dist. Ct. should not have credited defendant-prison doctor’s opinion that such delay did not cause damage to plaintiff’s heart, where said doctor was not expert in field of cardiology. Moreover, while Dist. Ct. properly granted summary judgment to defendant-prison guard who first encountered plaintiff (because said individual had no medical training and promptly reported plaintiff’s condition to others) and to defendant-prison doctor (since said individual was unaware of plaintiff’s condition until after delay had occurred), it could not properly award summary judgment to defendant-prison nurse and to defendant-prison lieutenant, where both individuals actually believed that plaintiff was having heart attack and yet failed to call 911.