West v. Atkins
United States Supreme Court
487 U.S. 42, 108 S. Ct. 2250, 101 L. Ed. 2D 40 (1988)
- Written by Salina Kennedy, JD
Facts
Samuel Atkins, MD (defendant) was a private physician who, pursuant to a contract with the State of North Carolina, provided orthopedic services to prison inmates on a part-time basis. Quincy West (plaintiff), an inmate, tore his Achilles tendon and was treated by Atkins. West alleged that Atkins acknowledged he needed surgery but instead treated West’s injury by putting his leg in a series of casts over several months and then releasing him from treatment before the injury had healed. West sued Atkins pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, arguing that Atkins had been deliberately indifferent to West’s serious medical needs in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The district court dismissed West’s case. The court of appeals affirmed, reasoning that individuals who act within the bounds of their professional discretion and judgment do not act under color of state law.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Blackmun, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
