Case Title: Inova Health System v. Grandis

Citation: 

Docket Number: 040242

State: virginia

Court: Virginia Supreme Court

Date: 2004-11-05T00:00:00Z

Document:
VIRGINIA: 
 
 
 
In the Supreme Court of Virginia held at the Supreme 
Court Building in the City of Richmond on Friday, the 5th day 
of November, 2004. 
 
Inova Health System,  
 
 
 
 
 
  Appellant, 
 
   against  
Record No. 040242  
 
 
Circuit Court No. L209737 
 
Steven Grandis, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Appellee. 
 
 
Upon an appeal from a judgment rendered by the 
Circuit Court of Fairfax County on the 31st day of October 
2003. 
 
 
Inova Health System appeals from a October 31, 2003 
judgment of the Circuit Court of Fairfax County holding that 
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital (Inova) had the obligation to care 
for Steven Grandis and to advise the Fairfax County Department 
of Human Development if it chose to discharge Grandis.  Upon 
review of the record, briefs, and argument of counsel, the 
Court is of opinion that there is error in the judgment of the 
circuit court. 
 
On November 9, 2002, Grandis was involuntarily committed 
by order of the General District Court of Fairfax County to 
Inova for a period of 180 days pursuant to Code § 37.1-
67.3(I).  The commitment order was affirmed by the circuit 
court on December 20, 2002.   
On January 21, 2003, the director of Inova discharged 
Grandis, finding that Grandis was not an imminent danger to 
 
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himself or others and that his discharge would not be 
detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to Grandis.  
Subsequently, the circuit court held a number of hearings and 
entered various orders relating to Grandis' involuntary 
commitment.  Throughout this period, Inova asserted that it 
had properly discharged Grandis in January 2003, that it was 
not responsible for the care of Grandis, and that the circuit 
court did not have jurisdiction to enter the various orders, 
including the October 31, 2003 order at issue here. 
Code § 37.1-67.3(K) states that a person committed 
pursuant to an order of involuntary commitment under that 
section "shall be released at the expiration of 180 days 
unless involuntarily committed by further petition and order 
of a court as provided herein."  In this case, the 180 day 
period ended well before the October 31, 2003 order was 
entered and no "further petition" had been filed.  Although 
the circuit court stated that it "lacked jurisdiction over the 
person of Steven Grandis due to the passage of more than 180 
days since his involuntary commitment," it nevertheless 
continued to adjudicate matters involving Grandis' involuntary 
commitment.  The circuit court did not have authority to 
adjudicate matters involving Grandis' involuntary commitment 
because that court's jurisdiction over the involuntary 
 
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commitment ended 180 days after the commitment order was 
entered.  
For the reasons stated, the Court reverses that portion 
of the judgment of the circuit court imposing on Inova certain 
requirements and an obligation to care for Grandis and 
dismisses Inova from this proceeding.  
 
This order shall be certified to the said circuit court 
and shall be published in the Virginia Reports. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A Copy, 
Teste: 
 
     Patricia H. Krueger, Clerk