Federal Court Reinstates Lawsuit by Prison Inmate
A federal appeals court has reinstated a suit by a Folsom Prison inmate who said improper treatment of a damaged ankle led to gangrene and the amputation of his leg.
In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday said Sammy Williams could try to prove that prison officials acted with deliberate indifference to his condition by giving shoddy care, by denying him requested medications and by refusing to let him see a specialist.
Williams was convicted in Los Angeles County in 1988 of first-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years to life in prison, said Deputy Atty. Gen. James Ching.
In his suit, Williams said that after he entered Folsom in January, 1989, he requested low-cut shoes because a recent arterial bypass operation had left scar tissue on his left ankle. He said prison officials refused, and the wound soon reopened, aggravated by treatment from a prison doctor.
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