Opinion ID: 2069196
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Trial Court's Ruling on Appellants' Richardson Claim

Text: At a hearing on December 21, 1993, Brown and Marlowe argued that due process required that insanity acquittees be afforded the same protections conferred upon civil committees before they can be rehospitalized following conditional release to live in the community. Observing the differences between the requirements for commitment and release of insanity acquittees and civil committees, the trial court (Judge Weisberg) rejected appellants' argument that the procedures for the two categories of patients must be the same in order to comport with the requirements of due process. In so ruling, the court stated in part as follows: Due process, according to the Supreme Court in Morrissey v. Brewer [408 U.S. 471, 92 S.Ct. 2593, 33 L.Ed.2d 484 (1972)], which is a somewhat analogous context... is a flexible concept and calls for whatever procedural protections the particular situation demands. In my judgment, this situation demands the right to notice of rehospitalization and a prompt judicial determination if requested by the patient that the rehospitalization is justified and consistent with the needs of the patient and the needs of the community. In my judgment further, the due process rights of these patients were not violated in either case. In both cases within five days of rehospitalization, the hospital sent a letter as it's required to do to the Court and to counsel notifying the Court and counsel of rehospitalization. In each instance, that triggered the right of the patient through counsel to seek a hearing under [D.C.Code § 24-] 301(k) or on motion to enforce the conditional release to challenge the validity for the hospital's decision to rehospitalize each patient. The court further rejected the claim that the remedy for violation of the procedures outlined required immediate release of the patient, concluding that the remedy was for the patient to demand a prompt judicial hearing.