Hui v. Castaned

After Castaneda was released from custody, tests confirmed that he had metastatic cancer. He then filed this suit, raising medical negligence claims against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U. S. C. §§1346, 2671–2680, and constitutional claims against petitioners under Bivens v. Six Unknown Fed. Narcotics Agents, 403 U. S. 388, 397; 42 U. S. C. §233(a), provides: “the [FTCA] remedy against the United States provided by [28 U. S. C. §§1346(b) and 2672] for damage for personal injury, including death, resulting from the performance of medical . . . or related functions . . . by any [PHS] commissioned officer or employee . . . while acting within the scope of his office or employment, shall be exclusive of any other civil action or proceeding by reason of the same subject-matter against the officer or employee.”;

The immunity provided by §233(a) precludes Bivens actions against individual PHS officers or employees for harms arising out of constitutional violations committed while acting within the scope of their office or employment (U.S. S. Ct., 03.05.10, Hui v. Castaneda, J. Sotomayor).

Une action délictuelle contre l'état fédéral peut être fondée sur le FTCA, et une action concurrente fondée sur la jurisprudence Bivens peut être intentée contre l'employé public dont la responsabilité est alléguée. Seule l'action contre l'état fédéral fondée sur le FTCA est recevable si une norme du droit fédéral en dispose ainsi, ce qui est le cas en l'espèce s'agissant d'actions de prisonniers à l'encontre d'employés pénitentiaires.