Opinion ID: 2586091
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidentiary challenges to the petition for thirty-day commitment

Text: Finally, Wetherhorn contends that the evidence presented at the hearing was insufficient to establish that she met the standards for commitment under the clear and convincing standard required by AS 47.30.735(c). But the thirty-day period for which Wetherhorn was committed has long since passed, and the question is thus moot. A claim is moot if it is no longer a present, live controversy, and the party bringing the action would not be entitled to relief, even if it prevails. [54] We will, however, consider a question otherwise moot if it falls within the public interest exception to the mootness doctrine. The three factors in determining whether the public interest exception applies are: (1) whether the disputed issues are capable of repetition, (2) whether the mootness doctrine, if applied, may cause review of the issues to be repeatedly circumvented, and (3) whether the issues presented are so important to the public interest as to justify overriding the mootness doctrine. [55] In this case, Wetherhorn was committed based on a specific set of facts that amounted to a finding that she was gravely disabled. For example, her beliefs that the owner of the local grocery store was going to transport her to the Pope's funeral and that she had bought a church indicated that she lacked insight. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the most recent episode of which was manic. She had also struck people at the hospital and was alternately confused and agitated and had trouble sleeping. At her hearing, Wetherhorn told the master that she wanted to stay at the hospital until I get well, until I'm stabler than I am now. These facts are all specific to Wetherhorn's condition immediately before and at the time of her hearing. If it were to become necessary to seek Wetherhorn's commitment again, the hearing would be based on a different set of facts specific to different circumstances. It is unclear how two different hearings based on different facts and circumstances could be compared, and thus the factual questions are not capable of repetition. Because the issue here is not capable of repetition, the public interest exception to the mootness doctrine does not apply, and we refrain from considering this issue.