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Virginia Prisoner’s 8th Amendment Claims Dismissed
From January 1994 to September 1994, Darrell Coppage was a prisoner at the Rappahanock Security Center (RSC) in Virginia. For several months of his stay at RSC, Coppage experienced pain, paralysis, and incontinence due to an undiagnosed cancerous tumor at the base of his spine. When the tumor was finally discovered, Coppage received chemotherapy and the necessary rehab, although he is now permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
Coppage’s attorneys, Victor Glasberg, Esq., Jeanne Goldberg, Esq., with Victor Glasberg & Associates in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as Jonathan Shapiro, Esq., and Michael Lieberman, Esq., with Jonathan Shapiro & Associates, PC, also in Alexandria, filed suit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging constitutional and state law violations. The suit accused medical staff of cruel and unusual punishment for their failure to adequately address Coppage’s medical needs.
On November 7, 1995, summary judgment was granted the defendants with the finding that Coppage had received a reasonable standard of care under the circumstances. Furthermore, the court determined the defendants were protected by qualified immunity even had the federal claims survived. However, Coppage’s state claims of malpractice and gross negligence survived summary Judgment. See: Coppage v. Mann, et al., U.S.D.C., E.D.-VA., Alexandria, #95-208-A. 906 F. Supp. 1025; 1995 U.S. Dist.
Coppage’s attorneys, Victor Glasberg, Esq., Jeanne Goldberg, Esq., with Victor Glasberg & Associates in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as Jonathan Shapiro, Esq., and Michael Lieberman, Esq., with Jonathan Shapiro & Associates, PC, also in Alexandria, filed suit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging constitutional and state law violations. The suit accused medical staff of cruel and unusual punishment for their failure to adequately address Coppage’s medical needs.
On November 7, 1995, summary judgment was granted the defendants with the finding that Coppage had received a reasonable standard of care under the circumstances. Furthermore, the court determined the defendants were protected by qualified immunity even had the federal claims survived. However, Coppage’s state claims of malpractice and gross negligence survived summary Judgment. See: Coppage v. Mann, et al., U.S.D.C., E.D.-VA., Alexandria, #95-208-A. 906 F. Supp. 1025; 1995 U.S. Dist.
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Related legal case
Coppage v. Mann
| Year | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Cite | U.S.D.C., E.D.-VA., Alexandria, #95-208-A. 906 F. Supp. 1025; 1995 U.S. Dist. |
| Level | District Court |
| Injunction Status | N/A |