Meriwether v. Faulkner
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
821 F.2d 408 (1987)
- Written by Miller Jozwiak, JD
Facts
Lavarita Meriwether (plaintiff) was convicted of murder and was serving a prison sentence. Meriwether was a transgender woman who had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Meriwether had taken estrogen therapy and received surgical augmentation. But prison officials treated Meriwether as an anatomical male. A prison doctor allegedly made humiliating remarks to Meriwether and would not give her estrogen treatment. As a result, Meriwether suffered estrogen withdrawal symptoms. Meriwether was also segregated and was the victim of sexual harassment, which allegedly included prison officers forcing her to strip in front of other inmates. Meriwether sued various prison officials (defendants) for, among other things, violating her rights under the Eighth Amendment. On the prison officials’ motion, the district court dismissed Meriwether’s claim for failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). The court reasoned that there was no serious medical need involved and did not address Meriwether’s claims regarding the conduct of other inmates. Meriwether appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cummings, J.)
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