Mental Health Professionals Had No Duty To Warn Unforeseeable Victim of Violence

Mental health providers who were given no reason to believe a patient would kill his mother and her husband had no duty to warn the victims of the possibility of the attack and thus were not liable for their deaths, a state appeals court held May 13 (Shea v. Caritas Carney Hospital Inc., Mass. App. Ct., 10-P-900, 5/13/11).

The Massachusetts Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment for Caritas Carney Hospital Inc. and three individuals, Jean Semexant, Dr. Richard Shapiro, and Joseph Sara, who had provided care and counseling to Jason Potter in the days leading up ...