In re Miller

8 Ohio App. Unrep. 221
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in In re Miller. Read the opinion of the Court — 82 Ohio App. 3d 81
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided November 28, 1990·No. Case No. CA-2739·Published

Opinion

SMART, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, of Richland County, Ohio that found respondent-appellant Kenneth W. Miller (appellant) to be a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order as defined by R.C. §5122.01, and committed appellant to the Richland County Center for Individual and Family Services.

Appellant assigns six errors to the trial court:

"ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. I. "THE PROBATE COURT ERRED BY ALLOWING INTO EVIDENCE THE TESTIMONY OF APPELLANT’S PSYCHIATRIST IN VIOLATION OF THE PHYSICIAN-PATIENT PRIVILEGE SET FORTH IN R.C. 2317.02(B).

"ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. II. "APPELLANT WAS DENIED DUE PROCESS OR LAW IN VIOLATION OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION BY THE FAILURE OF THE HEALTH AUTHORITIES, POLICE, AND PROBATE COURT TO CONFORM THEIR ACTIONS TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CIVIL COMMITMENT STATUTE.

"ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. III. "THE JUDGMENT OF THE PROBATE COURT IS AGAINST THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.

"ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. IV. "R.C. 5122.01(B) (4) IS UNCONSTITUTIONALLY VAGUE AND OVERBROAD AND VIOLATES THE DUE PROCESS CLAUSE OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.

"ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. V. "THE PROBATE COURT ERRED WHEN IT REQUIRED APPELLANT TO HIRE A COURT REPORTER TO MAKE A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS.

"ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. VI. "THE PROBATE COURT ERRED WHEN IT DENIED PAYMENT FOR AN INDEPENDENT EXPERT EVALUATION AND TRANSCRIPT WITHOUT CONDUCTING AN EXAMINATION AND MAKING A FINDING IN REGARD TO INDIGENCY."

I.

R.C. §2317.02(B) makes communications between physicians and their patients privileged. At the involuntary commitment hearing, the psychiatrist who had treated appellant since 1980 testified over appellant's objection that his testimony violated the physician-patient privilege.

In the case of In re: Winstead (1980) 67 Ohio St. 2d 111, the Court of Appeals from Summit County held that the physician-patient privilege does not apply to involuntary commitment proceedings because the privilege only applies when the patient had voluntarily sought treatment, syllabus, paragraph 2. Appellant distinguishes Winstead on the basis that here, the physician-patient relationship was of some ten years standing and had been entered into voluntarily. In fact, on the day appellant was taken to the hospital without his consent, he voluntarily submitted at least partially to an examination by the psychiatrist. In Winstead, the patient had never sought treatment by the physician who ultimately testified. We agree that Winstead is inapplicable, here.

In our case State v. Jackson (January 21, 1988), Richland App. No. CA-2500, unreported; we found that counsel for Jackson opened the door for introduction of the physician's testimony by using hospital records that contained the physician's statements, Jackson at 7-8.

Here, the parties stipulated to the hospital records that contained the psychiatrist's notes. Appellant's expert witness relied for his testimony on those records. We find that appellant waived the physician-patient privilege.

The first assignment of error is overruled.

II.

In his second assignment of error appellant urges that the Probate Court did not require the authorities herein to follow the dictates of R.C. §5522.01 et seq. He cites three instances.

A.R.C. §5122.11 states:

"Proceedings for the hospitalization of a person pursuant to sections 5122.11 to [223]*2235122.15 of the Revised Code, except those pursuant to section 2945.40 of the Revised Code, shall be commenced by the filing of an affidavit in the manner and form prescribed by the department of mental health, by any person or persons with the court, either on reliable information or actual knowledge, which-ever is determined to be proper by the court.

"The Affidavit shall contain an allegation setting forth the specific category or categories under division (B) of section 5122.01 of the Revised Code upon which the jurisdiction of the court is based and a statement of alleged facts sufficient to indicate probable cause to believe that the person is a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order. The affidavit may be accompanied, or the court may require that such affidavit be accompanied, by a certificate of psychiatrist, or a certificate signed by a licensed clinical psychologist and a certificate signed by a licensed physician stating that he has examined the person and is of the opinion that he is a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order, or shall be accompanied by a written statement by the applicant, under oath, that the person has refused to submit to an examination by a psychiatrist, or by a licensed clinical psychologist and licensed physician.

"Upon receipt of the affidavit, a judge of the court or referee who is an attorney at law appointed by the court may, where he has probable cause to believe that the person named in the affidavit is a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order, issue a temporary order of detention ordering any health or police officer or sheriff to take into custody and transport such person to a hospital or other place designated in section 5122.17 of the revised Code, or may set the matter for further hearing."

The affidavit here stated:

"Mr. Kenneth Miller is a thirty-eight year old Caucasian, married male, admitted on an emergency basis on November 18, 1989. The patient has been progressively confused, delusional, and paranoid. His sense of reality is altered, grandiouse (sic) and at times, out of touch with reality."

Appellant asserts that these allegations are conclusory and are drawn from the treating psychologist's report. The affidavit also alleges that no psychiatric examination had been performed because appellant refused to submit to it. The affidavit was accompanied by a certificate of examination executed by appellant's psychiatrist.

In the case of In re: Boggs, (1990), 50 Ohio St.3d 217, our Supreme Court examined an affidavit that alleged that Boggs sent letters to various officials accusing her ex-husband of sexual misconduct and criminal acts. The affidavit also alleged that Boggs was delusional and religiously preoccupied. A copy of one of the letters that Boggs had allegedly mailed was attached to the affidavit. The Supreme Court found that these allegations were insufficient as a matter of law under the statute. The Supreme Court noted that the affidavit did not allege that the statements from Boggs' letters were false.

We find that the affidavit here contains sufficient allegations to comply with the statute. Unlike the one in Boggs, this affidavit states that appellant was not functioning appropriately in his surroundings. We also find that the erroneous allegation that there was no certificate of examination did not prejudice appellant in any way. The statute permits either an allegation that no examination was done, or a certificate. In fact, it appears from the record that only a partial examination wasperformed because appellant was unable to tolerate a complete examination.

B. R.C.

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In re Miller, 8 Ohio App. Unrep. 221 (Ohio Ct. App. 1990).

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