Charles, an inmate at Northern Nevada Correctional Center, is partially paralyzed on his left side due to alleged lack of medical treatment while in prison. He went into custody in 1999 and started complaining of back pain in 2000. He was transferred multiple times starting in 2006 to give him access to medical resources and classified as a low tier inmate. Despite this, he alleges he did not receive any real treatment or diagnostics for his pain until 2008 when he had an x-ray. The x-ray confirmed spinal cord issues and the doctor recommended an MRI. No MRI was done for years and, in June 2015, he filed an emergency grievance. It was not until seeing another doctor at a new facility in 2016 that he then had an MRI. This MRI confirmed the issues identified in 2008 and the doctor recommended surgery. He did not receive surgery despite filing multiple grievances and his pain persisted. In 2018, he was re-assigned to an upper tier cell despite his file noting the low tier requirement for medical reasons. He then fell while going up the stairs to his cell. He was taken to a medical center and had emergency surgery to relieve pressure from his spinal cord. The doctor advised he may never have full mobility again due to the continued pressure on his nerves for years. As a result, he filed an 8th Amendment deliberate indifference to serious medical needs claim and unsafe prison conditions. He is seeking an attorney through the Federal Pro Bono Program.

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