Qualified immunity may be asserted as a defense by providers of medical care in prisons and jails. In Wiertella v. Lake County, Ohio et al., 6th Cir., No. 24-3311, 6/24/2025), inmate Randy Wiertella died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease eight days after entering the jail because he never received his blood pressure medication, despite repeated requests. His estate filed suit under 42 U.S.C.
The title of this blog post is the holding of a recent Tenth Circuit case, Tanner v. McMurray, https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/19/19-2166.pdf (10th Cir. 3/2/2021). All quotations below (except the statute itself) are from Senior Circuit Judge Lucero’s outstanding opinion for a unanimous panel. Footnotes, citations and internal brackets are omitted (i.e., bracketed language is mine); most internal quotation marks are omitted.
