Jury Instructions

By: Derek Hawkins//October 6, 2020//

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Reginald Pittman v. County of Madison, Illinois, et al.,

Case No.: 19-2956

Officials: WOOD, BARRETT, and SCUDDER, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Jury Instructions

Reginald Pittman attempted suicide at the Madison County jail in 2007. Although the attempt failed, it left him in a vegetative state. Through his guardian, Pittman filed this § 1983 suit against Madison County and then-Madison County jail employees, Sergeant Randy Eaton and Deputy Matthew Werner, alleging that they violated the Fourteenth Amendment by failing to provide him with adequate medical care. In 2018, the suit went to trial for the second time, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants. We reverse the district court’s denial of Pittman’s motion for a new trial and remand because we conclude that one of the jury instructions erroneously directed the jury to evaluate Pittman’s Fourteenth Amendment claim according to a subjective rather than objective standard.

Reversed and remanded

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Derek A Hawkins is trademark corporate counsel for Harley-Davidson. Hawkins oversees the prosecution and maintenance of the Harley-Davidson’s international trademark portfolio in emerging markets.

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