Opinion ID: 2582638
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Negligent Failure to Provide Treatment

Text: ¶ 26 Aba Sheikh's third and final alternative claim is that DSHS had a duty, established by administrative regulation, to protect the public by providing mental health and substance abuse treatment to Anderson and Pierre. We employ a three-part test to determine whether a statute or regulation creates an implied cause of action: (1) whether the plaintiff is within the class for whose `especial' benefit the statute was enacted, (2) whether legislative intent, explicitly or implicitly, supports creating or denying a remedy, and (3) whether implying a remedy is consistent with the underlying purpose of the legislation. Bennett v. Hardy, 113 Wash.2d 912, 920-21, 784 P.2d 1258 (1990). Aba Sheikh's argument regarding this issue is extremely underdeveloped, failing to even discuss the Bennett test. Instead, Aba Sheikh simply cites three now-repealed sections of the WAC that detail DSHS's responsibility to provide psychological, mental health, and chemical dependency services to dependent children. [4] ¶ 27 The basis for Aba Sheikh's claim fails to satisfy any of the three Bennett factors. First, these administrative rules are clearly intended to benefit the recipients of the listed services. Aba Sheikh points to nothing in the WAC or authorizing legislation that would suggest the treatment provisions are intended to prevent tortious acts by dependent children from harming the community at large. Second, Aba Sheikh's only contention that the legislature intended to create a remedy is his renewed citation to the community at large reference in RCW 74.15.010(5) (one of DSHS's purposes is to license foster homes to ensure there are minimum standards in child care). Licensing foster homes has no relation to offering additional services (i.e., mental health and chemical dependency treatment) to dependent children. [5] Finally, as discussed in detail in above, the purpose of the child welfare statutes and regulations is to benefit the dependent children, not to make DSHS a component of the criminal justice system. Because Aba Sheikh fails to succeed under any part of the Bennett test, we hold that the trial court was correct in granting summary judgment in the State's favor on the negligent failure to provide treatment claim.