Psychiatric Patient to Move Forward on Unjust Restraint Claims

A civilly committed psychiatric patient plausibly pleaded that a state-run facility’s official violated his civil rights by physically restraining and isolating him for an extensive period of time, the Fourth Circuit said Friday.

Rashad Riddick’s 42 USC § 1983 suit over violations of his 14th Amendment rights should have been allowed to proceed against Virgina’s Central State Hospital Director Rebecca Vauter, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said.

Riddick also sufficiently alleged that state Interim Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Commissioner Jack Barber was personally involved in setting the conditions of his confinement, the panel saidm, ...