5/6/21 - Do Hospitals Owe a Duty to Protect Others Against Violence of a One-Time Patient?

The Briefing with Smith Freed Eberhard

Justin Wickizer, Director of Legal Operations, discusses Smith Freed Eberhard's latest Washington Legal Alert, "Hospitals Do Not Owe a Duty to Protect Others Against Violence of a One-Time Patient." In a recent case before The Washington Court of Appeals, Konicke v. Evergreen Emergency Servs., the court held that a hospital cannot be held liable for the actions of an individual experiencing a mental health crisis, if the individual only came to the hospital for a single emergency department visit. This is true even if the hospital chose not to call a mental health professional to decide if the individual should have been committed to involuntary treatment.