Chrupcala v. Chester County Hosp.,
No. 00-6027 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 29, 2003)

A patient brought a claim against a private hospital for violating §1983 (a federal statute that provides that individuals may bring suit when they have been deprived of their constitutional rights by state actors), alleging that a nurse gave the woman a Depo-Provera injection without her consent. The patient alleged that the hospital and the nurse are state actors for various reasons, including that the hospital receives public funds such as Medicare and Medicaid. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania held that the receipt of governmental funding by the hospital does not render the hospital and the nurse state actors.