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Steve Renick and Patrick Hurley Win at U.S. Supreme Court
On May 3, 2010, Steve Renick and Patrick Hurley won a unanimous 9-0 verdict at the U.S. Supreme Court in Hui v. Castaneda. Francisco Castaneda was an immigrant from El Salvador who had been convicted of a drug charge. He claimed that while he was in immigration custody pending deportation, his medical complaints were not addressed.
Ultimately, it was determined that he had cancer and he died. Suit was filed against the United States and various employees of the US Public Health Service, who allegedly ignored Castaneda's medical problem. A federal statute provides that employees of the Public Health Service are immune from most lawsuits relating to their medical service, but Castaneda, and after his death his heirs, claimed that the immunity did not apply in this case. Both the District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Castaneda. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Steve and Patrick represented one of the Public Health Service doctors before the Supreme Court.
On Monday, May 3rd, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the decisions of the lower courts, agreeing with Steve and Patrick that the immunity did apply in this case and that therefore the Public Health Service defendants could not be sued by Castaneda's heirs |
