No. 25-532

Diana Snow, et al. v. Dennis Wiertella, as Father and Administrator of the Estate of Randy Wiertella, Deceased

Lower Court: Sixth Circuit
Docketed: 2025-10-31
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Tags: constitutional-rights deliberate-indifference medical-care prison-liability qualified-immunity subjective-awareness
Latest Conference: 2026-02-20
Question Presented (from Petition)

1. Did the Sixth Circuit depart from this Court's decision in Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994) in denying qualified immunity to Petitioners, despite the lack of evidence that Petitioners had actual knowledge of the substantial risk of serious harm, because they failed to act on information suggesting the need for medication at some point in the future?

2. Did the Sixth Circuit depart from this Court's decision in Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994) in denying qualified immunity to Petitioners, by finding that a medical response that creates a brief deprivation of a commonplace medication unnecessary to staving off any apparently imminent patient risk is unreasonable and runs afoul of the Constitution?

3. Did the Sixth Circuit depart from this Court's decisions in Taylor v. Barkes, 575 U.S. 822 (2018) and Mullenix v. Luna, 577 U.S. 7 (2015) and numerous other cases by considering clearly established law at too high a level of generality rather than giving particularized consideration to the facts and circumstances of this case?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Did the Sixth Circuit depart from this Court's decision in Farmer v. Brennan by improperly denying qualified immunity to Petitioners based on insufficient evidence of actual knowledge of substantial medical risk?

Docket Entries

2026-02-23
Petition DENIED.
2026-01-14
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/20/2026.
2025-12-31
Brief of Dennis Wiertella, as Father and Administrator of the Estate of Randy Wiertella, Deceased in opposition submitted.
2025-12-31
Brief of respondent Dennis Wiertella, as Father and Administrator of the Estate of Randy Wiertella, Deceased in opposition filed.
2025-11-25
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including December 31, 2025.
2025-11-24
Motion of Dennis Wiertella, as Father and Administrator of the Estate of Randy Wiertella, Deceased for an extension of time submitted.
2025-11-24
Motion to extend the time to file a response from December 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.
2025-10-29
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 1, 2025)

Attorneys

Dennis Wiertella, as Father and Administrator of the Estate of Randy Wiertella, Deceased
Colleen Elizabeth Roh SinzdakMilbank LLP, Respondent
Diana Snow, et al.
Amily Ann ImbrognoMeyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis, Petitioner