[DOWNLOAD] "In re Walker" by District of Columbia Court of Appeals. * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: In re Walker
- Author : District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
- Release Date : January 29, 2004
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 59 KB
Description
Argued November 2, 1999 These consolidated appeals both involve Eleanor Walker, who was committed to Saint Elizabeths Hospital as an outpatient under the Ervin Act, D.C. Code §§ 21-501 et seq. (2001),1 after her treating psychiatrist sought her involuntary hospitalization. Following a mental health examination, the Commission on Mental Health Services (""CMHS"") filed a petition to revoke her outpatient commitment so that she could be recommitted as an inpatient. While that petition was pending, a physician at Saint Elizabeths ordered that Ms. Walker receive involuntary injections of Haldol Decanoate. Thereafter the trial court denied CMHS's petition, and Ms. Walker was released. In the first appeal, Ms. Walker challenges the trial court's denial of her post-release ""Motion for Appropriate Relief,"" asserting that the hospital violated her due process rights by forcibly injecting her without following the appropriate procedures for involuntary medication as set forth in a document known as CMHS Policy 50000.430.2B. In the second appeal, CMHS challenges the trial court's denial of its application, pursuant to D.C. Code § 21-592, for an order directing the United States Marshals Service to detain Ms. Walker and return her to Saint Elizabeths Hospital. In ruling as it did, the court held that section 21-592 applied only to patients who have escaped from the hospital or to those who have failed to return as directed, and that neither category included Ms. Walker. On appeal, CMHS argues that the statute is ambiguous and urges this court to apply section 21-592 to all patients.