Electrician hangs self in psychiatric facility. CMS&C helps surviving siblings cope with the emotional pain with $350,000 settlement.
This case involved a 38-year-old man who committed suicide in a psychiatric facility. The unemployed electrician hanged himself with his own shoelaces after he was involuntarily committed to the mental hospital.
The Defendant's hospital staff noted that the man was suicidal when he was admitted to the facility. Staff also noted that he remained in that mental condition during the following days. His status mandated that staff keep him under close observation, with visual checks every 15 minutes.
On the day of his death, the suicidal man became extremely upset. The Defendant's staff administered sedatives and psychotropic medications, and then left him alone in his room without the required level of supervision. At the next visual check in, the man was found hanging from an electrical outlet four feet off the floor. The decedent was survived by his three siblings.
The Plaintiff contended that the Defendant demonstrated deliberate indifference to the suicidal man's condition and violated his Fourteenth Amendment substantive due process rights to be housed safely while involuntarily committed.
The Defendant argued that the medical standard of care was followed and that the suicidal man's condition had been monitored according to the required guidelines. The Defendant also contended that none of its employees could be charged with deliberate indifference.
CMS&C settled the matter for $350,000 while the decision on the Defendant's motion for summary adjudication was pending.
