Source: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/nvmhicomp.php
Timestamp: 2014-04-20 18:39:28
Document Index: 380752721

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1997', '§ 1345', '§ 1997', '§ 1997', '§ 1997', '§ 1391', '§ 1997', '§ 12101', '§ 12131', '§ 12101']

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA ALEXANDRIA DIVISION UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff
THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA; THE HONORABLE GEORGE F. ALLEN, Governor of Virginia; TIMOTHY A. KELLY, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Mental	Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services; and ANTONI SULIKOWSKI, Director of the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, Defendants
1.	The Attorney General of the United States brings this
action on behalf of the United States of America, pursuant to the
U.S.C. §§ 1997-1997j, to enjoin the named Defendants from
depriving persons residing at the Northern Virginia Mental Health
Institute ("NVMHI") in Falls Church, Virginia, of rights,
privileges or immunities secured or protected by the laws and
2.	This Court has jurisdiction over this action pursuant
to 28 U.S.C. § 1345.
3.	The United States has standing to maintain this action
pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1997a.
4.	The Attorney General has certified that all pre-filing
requirements specified in 42 U.S.C. § 1997b have been met and
that she has the "reasonable cause to believe" set forth in 42
U.S.C. § 1997a. The Certificate of the Attorney General is
appended to this Complaint and is incorporated herein.
5.	Venue in the United States District Court for the
Northern District of Virginia is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391. DEFENDANTS
6.	Defendant COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA ("Virginia" or
"State") owns and operates NVMHI, a facility for the mentally
7.	Defendant GEORGE F. ALLEN is the Governor of the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and, in this capacity, heads the
Executive Branch of the State's government and, among other
duties, reviews and approves budget requests submitted by
Executive Branch agencies regarding state institutions. He
selects and appoints the Commissioner of the Department of Mental
Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services. 8.	Defendant TIMOTHY A. KELLY is the Commissioner of
Virginia's Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and
Substance Abuse Services ("DMHMRSAS") and, in this capacity,
exercises administrative control of, and responsibility for, the
9.	Defendant ANTONI SULIKOWSKI is the Director of NVMHI,
and is responsible for the administration and day-to-day
operations of NVMHI.
10.	The individual Defendants named in paragraphs 7, 8, and
9 are officers of the Executive Branch of the Commonwealth of
Virginia and are sued in their official capacities.
11.	NVMHI is an "institution" as that term is defined in 42
U.S.C. § 1997(1)(A), (1)(B)(i) and (1)(B)(v).
12.	Persons residing at the institution are "qualified
individual[s] with a disability" under the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101, 12131.
13. The Commonwealth of Virginia, DMHMRSAS, and NVMHI are
"public entities" under Title II of the ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12131.
14.	Defendants are legally responsible, in whole or in
part, for the operation of and conditions at the institution, as
well as for the care and treatment of persons residing at the
15.	At all relevant times, Defendants have acted or failed
to act, as alleged herein, under color of state law. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
16.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
provide reasonably safe conditions and to ensure the reasonable
safety of the NVMHI patients. 17.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
provide adequate medical and mental health care to patients. 18.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
ensure that NVMHI patients are free from undue or unreasonable
19.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
ensure that use of restraint and seclusion at NVMHI is authorized by appropriately qualified professionals in keeping with accepted professional standards, and is not used as punishment, in lieu of treatment, or for the convenience of staff.
20. Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
ensure that medications are prescribed and administered to NVMHI
patients by appropriately qualified professionals in keeping with
accepted professional standards, and are not used as punishment,
in lieu of treatment, or for the convenience of staff.
21.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
provide NVMHI patients with that level of treatment and training
necessary to protect the patients' liberty interests, including
their right to treatment and training sufficient to ensure safety
and freedom from undue restraint. 22.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
provide a sufficient number of adequately trained staff to render
the essential care, treatment and training outlined above in
paragraphs 16 through 21 as required by the laws and Constitution
23. Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
maintain professionally based record keeping and record review
systems to ensure that patient records contain accurate, up-to-date and relevant information necessary to enable staff to provide adequate care, treatment, and training to NVMHI patients.
24. Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
ensure that NVMHI patients are adequately evaluated for community
placement, that those individual patients who professionals
determine should be placed in community programs are placed in
such programs, and that all patients are served in the most
integrated setting appropriate to each patient's individual
25.	Defendants have failed and are continuing to fail to
1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., and the regulations promulgated
pursuant thereto, by excluding the persons living at NVMHI, by reason of their disability, from participation in or by denying
them the benefits of services, programs, or activities, or by
subjecting them to discrimination, and by failing to administer
services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting
26.	The acts and omissions alleged in paragraphs 16 through
25 infringe upon the patients' legal rights and substantive
liberty interests and constitute resistance to their full
enjoyment of rights, privileges or immunities secured or
protected by the laws and Constitution of the United States, and
deprive NVMHI patients of such rights, privileges or immunities.
27.	Unless restrained by this Court, Defendants will
continue to engage in the conduct and practices set forth in
paragraphs 16 through 25 that deprive NVMHI patients of rights,
privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the laws and
Constitution of the United States, and cause irreparable harm to
those patients. PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, the United States prays that this Court enter an
order permanently enjoining Defendants, their agents, employees,
subordinates, successors in office, and all those acting in
concert or participation with them from continuing the acts,
practices and omissions at the institutions set forth in
paragraphs 16 through 25, and to require Defendants to take such
action as will bring Defendants into compliance with federal law
and provide constitutional conditions of care to persons who reside at NVMHI. The United States further prays that this Court grant such other and further equitable relief as it may deem just and proper.
HELEN FAHEY, United States Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia	ISABELLE KATZ PINZLER, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division
(202) 514-8892