JOHNSON BY JOHNSON v. THOMPSON

No. 90-6107.

971 F.2d 1487 (1992)

Carlton JOHNSON, by Sharon JOHNSON as his next friend; Stonewall Jackson Smith, deceased, by and through Frieda Smith and John Smith; Melissa Camp, deceased, by and through Cheparney Camp; and the Spina Bifida Association of America; Plaintiffs-Appellants, and Sharon Johnson; and the Association for Persons With Severe Handicaps, individually and on behalf of others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. Webb THOMPSON, M.D., Chief of Staff and Medical Director, Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital, in his individual and official capacities; Jerry D. Razook, M.D., Attending Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology Service, Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital, in his individual capacity; Gregory Herbeck, M.D., Intern Department of Pediatrics, Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital, in his individual capacity; Cynthia Houdesheldt, M.D., in her individual capacity; Richard H. Gross, M.D., in his individual capacity; William R. Burkett, Patty Eaton, Reginald Barnes, W.E. Farha, Joseph W. Stafford, Jane Hartley, Virginia Kidd, John E. Orr, Wayne C. Chandler, Members, Oklahoma Commission for Human Services; Robert Bonar, Administrator, Children's Hospital of Oklahoma; Andrew A. Lasser, C.E.O., Oklahoma Medical Center; Ron Dorris, Chief Operation Officer, Oklahoma Medical Center; Laura Tull, R.N.; Ruth Tatyrek, M.S.W.; John Stuemky, M.D.; Michael P. Morris, M.D.; Benjamin Demps, Jr., Director, Oklahoma Department of Human Services; J. Andrew Sullivan, M.D.; David Yngve, M.D.; William E. Barnes, M.D.; Harriet Coussons, M.D.; and Alan Olson, M.D., Defendants-Appellees, and Thomas Pratt, M.D., J. Patrick Livingston, M.D., and W.J. Craig, M.D., in their individual capacities, Defendants.

United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit.

August 6, 1992.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Larry A. Tawwater of Lampkin, McCaffrey & Tawwater, Oklahoma City, Okl. (Ben T. Lampkin and Jo L. Slama of Lampkin, McCaffrey & Tawwater, and James Bopp, Jr., Thomas J. Marzen, and Mary M. Nimz of The National Legal Center for the Medically Dependent and Disabled, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., with him on the brief), for plaintiffs-appellants Carlton Johnson, Stonewall Jackson Smith, and Melissa Camp.

St. John Barrett, Washington, D.C., on the brief for plaintiff-appellant The Spina Bifida Ass'n of America.

Robert C. Margo (John Wiggins and Cynthia L. Sparling with him on the brief) of Short Barnes Wiggins Margo & Adler, Oklahoma City, Okl., for defendants-appellees Richard Gross, M.D., J. Andrew Sullivan, M.D., David Yngve, M.D., William Barnes, M.D., Harriet Coussons, M.D., Webb Thompson, M.D., Jerry Razook, M.D., Gregory Herbeck, M.D., John Stuemky, M.D., Alan Olson, M.D., and Cynthia Houdesheldt, M.D.

John G. Fears, Asst. General Counsel, Dept. of Human Services, Oklahoma Com'n for Human Services, Oklahoma City, Okl., for defendants-appellees Benjamin Demps, Jr., William R. Burkett, Patty Eaton, Reginald Barnes, W.E. Farha, Joseph W. Stafford, Jane Hartley, Virginia Kidd, John E. Orr, Wayne C. Chandler, Robert Bonar, Andrew A. Lasser, Ron Dorris, Laura Tull, R.N., and Ruth Tatyrek, M.S.W.

Before HOLLOWAY and EBEL, Circuit Judges, and OWEN, District Judge.


EBEL, Circuit Judge.

This appeal requires us to confront a variety of issues regarding the medical treatment provided to certain infants born with spina bifida. We address primarily whether the infants' rights under the Constitution and under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, were violated. The district court entered judgment for the defendants. We affirm.

I. Background

Plaintiffs-Appellants Carlton Johnson, Melissa...

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