In Re Miller

• Court: Montana Supreme Court
• Decided: December 22, 1977
• Docket: 13718
• Status: Published

Opinion

No. 13718 IN THE SUPREbE COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA

IN RE: THE MATTER OF HERBERT MILLER.

Appeal from: District Court of the Third Judicial District, Honorable Robert Boyd, Judge presiding. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: James Dorr Johnson argued, Warm Springs, Montana Steven Bunch, Helena, Montana For Respondent: Mark P.Sullivan argued, Butte, Montana Nick A. Rotering, Helena, Montana

Submitted: November 28, 1977 Decided: ? icu - r 2~. . - DEC 2 2 1977 ~iled: M r . J u s t i c e John Conway Harrison d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court.

This appeal r e s u l t s from proceedings pursuant t o s e c t i o n

38-1312, R.C.M. 1947. The d i s t r i c t c o u r t , Deer Lodge County,

t h e Hon. Robert Boyd p r e s i d i n g , found Herbert M i l l e r t o be

s e r i o u s l y mentally ill and ordered an extension of h i s commit-

ment period a t Warm Springs S t a t e Hospital f o r s i x a d d i t i o n a l

months.

M i l l e r was f i r s t committed t o Warm Springs i n 1956. The

. reason f o r admission was given a s acharge of homicide. Miller

was l a s t committed t o Warm Springs by c o u r t o r d e r on January 9 ,

1957.

Section 38-1312, R.C.M. 1947, r e q u i r e s t h a t any person

who, by reason of a j u d i c i a l decree, was adjudged mentally ill

p r i o r t o t h e enactment of T i t l e 38, Chapter 13, s h a l l , within

one year following t h e e f f e c t i v e d a t e of t h e a c t be r e l e a s e d ,

u n l e s s a p e t i t i o n f o r an extended d e t e n t i o n o r d e r i s f i l e d .

The required p e t i t i o n was f i l e d by Warm Springs s t a f f

psychologist Katherine Gallagher on June 29, 1976. M i l l e r had

been under t h e c a r e and supervision of psychologist Gallagher

p r i o r t o t h e f i l i n g of t h e p e t i t i o n . The p e t i t i o n was accom-

panied by a w r i t t e n r e p o r t and evaluation of h i s mental and

physical condition a s required by s e c t i o n 38-1306(6) (now 38-

1306(3), by 1977 amendment), R.C.M. 1947, compiled by psycholo-

g i s t Gallagher.

Upon a p p l i c a t i o n of counsel f o r M i l l e r , Judge Boyd appointed

D r . Ben P e t e r s , a psychia trist from Anaconda, Montana, t o inde-

pendently e v a l u a t e him. The hearing pursuant t o t h e p e t i t i o n was h e l d on December 3, 1976. Psychologist Gallagher was t h e s o l e

witness t o t e s t i f y . A t t h e beginning of t h e hearing, counsel

f o r M i l l e r moved t o s t r i k e t h e psychologist' r e p o r t from t h e

c o u r t f i l e on t h e grounds i t c o n s t i t u t e d hearsay evidence. The

D i s t r i c t Court denied t h e motion. Counsel a d d i t i o n a l l y a s s e r t e d

t h e p s y c h o l o g i s t / p a t i e n t p r i v i l e g e under s e c t i o n 66-3212, R.C.M.

1947, a s a b a r t o t h e testimony of psychologist Gallagher. That

motion was likewise denied.

A t t h e conclusion of t h e hearing, t h e D i s t r i c t Court con-

cluded M i l l e r was " s e r i o u s l y mentally ill" and ordered h i s

d e t e n t i o n a t Warm Springs be extended f o r an a d d i t i o n a l s i x

months, Miller appeals. \

The i s s u e s r a i s e d and arguments advanced on appeal by

M i l l e r a r e i d e n t i c a l t o those considered i n t h e companion case

I n t h e Matter of C u r t i s Sonsteng ( t h i s Court's No. 13719,

decided December , , 1977), and r e f e r e n c e i s made t h e r e t o .

W e f i n d no need t o r e p e a t our p r i o r holdings and d i s c u s s i o n of

t h e r e l e v a n t procedures and l e g a l p r i n c i p l e s a s found i n Sonsteng.

The order of t h e D i s t r i c t Court i s affirmed.

W Concur: e

Justices.