Doe v. Dynamic Physical Therapy, LLC, 607 U.S. 11, 146 S. Ct. 431 (2025)
In a Louisiana case, Plaintiff brought federal discrimination claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act, as well as state-law claims, against Dynamic Physical Therapy, alleging that it unlawfully denied him needed aquatic physical therapy due to his HIV-positive status. Dynamic asserted immunity under Louisiana’s Health Emergency Powers Act (LHEPA), which shields healthcare providers from civil liability during declared public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 emergency in effect when plaintiff was denied care. The trial court dismissed plaintiff’s complaint based on LHEPA immunity and the Louisiana Court of Appeal affirmed.
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari and summarily reversed, holding that LHEPA cannot immunize healthcare providers from federal statutory liability. States are “bound” by the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution to “follow federal law” and have “no power to confer immunity from federal causes of action.”
The Court’s holding would apply equally to California immunity statutes, which cannot bar liability for violation of federal law. For example, Government Code section 8659, which is a part of the California Emergency Services Act (CESA), immunizes medical and veterinary providers from liability during a state of emergency when they act “at the express or implied request of any responsible state or local official or agency,” except for “willful act[s] or omission[s].” (Gov. Code, § 8659.) Under Dynamic, the CESA cannot bar liability for violating federal laws. Likewise, the California Tort Claims Act protects “public employee[s] acting within the scope of [their] employment” from liability “for injury resulting from diagnosing or failing to diagnose that a person is afflicted with mental illness.” (Gov. Code, § 855.8.) Assertions of section 855.8 immunity against federal causes of action would be barred by Dynamic. For example, if a prisoner brings an Eighth Amendment claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against his prison doctor alleging deliberate indifference for failing to diagnose his mental illness, courts should reject the doctor’s assertion of immunity consistent with Dynamic’s ruling that state-law immunities do not trump federal claims.
