F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
JUN 27 2002
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
GEROME LEON DEBROW,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v. No. 01-7090
(D.C. No. 00-CV-364-S)
STEPHEN KAISER, Warden of the (E.D. Okla.)
Davis Correctional Facility; KATHY
MILLER, Medical Director of the
Davis Correctional Facility; DR.
HARVEY, Medical Doctor at the
Davis Correctional Facility,
Defendants-Appellees.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before EBEL , HOLLOWAY , and MURPHY , Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is
therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
Mr. Debrow challenges the decision of the district court dismissing his
complaint of inadequate medical care as frivolous pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§ 1915(e). We affirm.
In his complaint, Mr. Debrow alleged that prison officials denied and
delayed medical treatment for his asthma, as well as for pain caused by a bullet
lodged in his chest from an old gunshot wound. The district court, after
examining the pleadings and Mr. Debrow’s medical records attached to those
pleadings, concluded that he had received adequate treatment for his ailments and
that he had therefore failed to prove that prison officials acted with deliberate
indifference to serious medical needs. See Estelle v. Gamble , 429 U.S. 97,
104 (1976) (deliberate indifference to serious medical needs of a prisoner
constitutes unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain proscribed by the Eighth
Amendment).
28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i) permits dismissal of an in forma pauperis
action at any time if the court determines that the action or appeal is frivolous or
malicious. An action is frivolous if it lacks an arguable basis in either fact or
law. See Green v. Seymour , 59 F.3d 1073, 1077 (10th Cir. 1995). We review a
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district court’s dismissal for frivolousness for abuse of discretion only. See
Schlicher v. Thomas , 111 F.3d 777, 779 (10th Cir. 1997).
Because Mr. Debrow’s medical records clearly indicate that he received a
consistent course of treatment for the medical ailments complained of, and in
light of our precedent in Smart v. Villar, 547 F.2d 112, 114 (10th Cir. 1976)
(holding that where there is evidence of a series of sick calls, examinations,
diagnoses, and medications, it cannot be said there was deliberate indifference to
the prisoner’s complaints), the district court did not abuse its discretion in
dismissing the action.
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the United States District Court for
the Eastern District of Oklahoma for substantially the reasons stated in the district
court’s order of June 22, 2001. The district court granted Mr. Debrow’s
application to proceed without prepayment of the appellate filing fee;
consequently, we deny as moot his motion before this court to the same effect.
We remind Mr. Debrow of his continuing obligation to make partial payments
until the entire balance of the filing fee is paid.
Entered for the Court
William J. Holloway, Jr.
Circuit Judge
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