Avila v. Felder 

Mr. Avila sued California prison officials for violating his Eighth Amendment rights after they failed to treat a series of dangerous eye conditions, resulting in extreme pain and blindness in one eye.  The MacArthur Justice Center, along with UCLA’s Prisoners’ Rights Clinic, took on his case to help secure him the medical care he needed.

When Mr. Avila began experiencing severe pain and vision loss while incarcerated, officials refused to provide him with the emergency eye care he needed. Instead, one prison administrator with no medical training prescribed medication that worsened his condition. After months of pain and worsening eyesight, he filed a lawsuit arguing that officials’ deliberate indifference to his serious medical need violated his Eighth Amendment rights.  

The district court dismissed his complaint without granting leave to amend his complaint. We appealed, arguing that Mr. Avila stated a viable claim under the Eighth Amendment and, at the very least, that he should have been given the opportunity to amend his complaint. The Ninth Circuit agreed, reversing the district court and remanding the case, as we requested.