In the 1995 case Robert Attwood v. Harry K. Singletary, Jr., Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, Robert Attwood was a prisoner in Florida who filed a lawsuit against Harry K. Singletary Jr., the Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections at that time. The basis for his suit was an alleged violation of his Eighth Amendment rights which protect against cruel and unusual punishment; he claimed that prison officials were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs by denying him necessary dental care while incarcerated. Attwood had been suffering from severe tooth decay and gum disease but argued that despite repeated requests for treatment over several years, he received only minimal care such as extractions or temporary fillings instead of more comprehensive treatments like root canals or crowns. The court ruled in favor of Singletary stating there wasn't enough evidence to prove deliberate indifference on part of prison officials towards Attwood's medical condition since they provided some form of treatment even if it wasn't what Attwood preferred.

In the dissenting opinion for Robert Attwood v. Harry K. Singletary, Jr., it was argued that the majority's decision to deny habeas corpus relief was incorrect due to a failure in considering all relevant factors of Attwood's case. The dissent emphasized that Attwood had not received effective assistance from his counsel during trial and sentencing phases, which is constitutionally guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. It was pointed out that his attorney failed to investigate or present mitigating evidence about his mental health issues and history of substance abuse at sentencing, which could have potentially resulted in a lesser sentence than death penalty if presented properly before jury members who were deciding on life imprisonment versus capital punishment options for him after finding him guilty of murder charges.