California Treatment Center Denied Arbitration in Suicide Case

A residential treatment facility will face a lawsuit over a patient’s suicide in court after a California appeals court affirmed that an arbitration agreement the resident allegedly signed is invalid.

The contract between Brandon Nelson and Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center Inc. was both procedurally and substantively unconscionable because it was apparent Nelson couldn’t have understood its terms, which were “significantly harsh and one-sided,” the California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, said.

Nelson spent several weeks in hospitals in early 2018 for treatment of mental health issues, including a threat to kill himself, the court said. At the end of this ...