Psychiatry AdvisorPsychiatry Malpractice Claim Dismissed Under No Felony Conviction Recovery

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court case establishes a significant precedent for psychiatric malpractice claims, ruling that patients convicted of felonies cannot sue their mental healthcare providers for damages resulting from their criminal actions. The case involved a patient who murdered four people after his psychiatrist reduced and eliminated his medications, despite the patient’s history of violent behavior and mental illness.

Key Points:

• The patient, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder, had documented violent incidents including attacking his father and threatening family members before the murders
• The treating psychiatrist reduced the patient’s antipsychotic medications and lithium after a violent incident at a university, then eliminated remaining medications after the first murder occurred
• The Court invoked the No Felony Conviction Recovery rule, preventing individuals from benefiting financially from their criminal actions through civil lawsuits
• The ruling specifically protects mental healthcare providers from liability when patients commit crimes, noting this protection helps maintain patient-provider trust and prevents defensive medicine
• The Court emphasized that criminal responsibility accepted through a guilty plea bars subsequent attempts to shift blame to healthcare providers

HCN Medical Memo
The No Felony Conviction Recovery rule provides critical protection for mental healthcare providers, ensuring they can make treatment decisions without fear of liability for their patients’ criminal actions.

Malpractice Summaries