MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED regarded as precedent or cited before any Feb 03 2020, 8:45 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals and Tax Court estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT Kay A. Beehler Terre Haute, Indiana
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
In the Matter of the Involuntary February 3, 2020 Commitment of J.C. Court of Appeals Case No. 19A-MH-1436 Appeal from the Knox Superior Court The Honorable Gara U. Lee, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 42D01-1905-MH-45
Friedlander, Senior Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 1 of 8 [1] J.C. appeals from the trial court’s order granting a petition for involuntary 1 commitment filed by Samaritan Center/LaSalle Behavioral Health
(collectively “the Hospital”), contending that the evidence is insufficient to
support his commitment. We affirm.
[2] On May 12, 2019, J.C. appeared at the Hospital in an intoxicated state–his
blood alcohol content was .298. J.C. reported to staff that he had attempted to
kill himself prior to his arrival there but refused to be admitted as an inpatient.
Instead, he demanded to be returned home. Dr. Michael Cantwell, the medical
director of the inpatient psychiatric unit, gave his verbal authorization to submit
a physician’s emergency statement recommending the detention of J.C. at the
Hospital. The trial court then gave a verbal authorization endorsing the
emergency detention of J.C. at the Hospital.
[3] Next, on May 14, 2019, the Hospital filed a petition for involuntary
commitment, alleging that J.C. suffered from a psychiatric disorder, addiction
to narcotics or dangerous drugs, that he presented a substantial risk of harming
himself, and had made threats of suicide. The Hospital sought a regular
involuntary commitment.
[4] On May 21, 2019, the trial court held a hearing about J.C.’s commitment. Dr.
Cantwell and J.C. testified at that hearing. We will discuss the testimony in
1 Samaritan Center/LaSalle Behavior Health has chosen not to file an appellee’s brief in this matter. Additionally, the State of Indiana has filed, and this Court has accepted, a notice of non-participation.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 2 of 8 greater detail later. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court found that
J.C. suffered from alcohol dependence, was dangerous to himself, and was
gravely disabled, each as defined by statute. The trial court ordered J.C. to
receive rehabilitative treatment or rehabilitation and care at a state-operated
facility. J.C. now appeals.
2 [5] There has been no appellee’s brief filed in this appeal. Indiana Appellate Rule
45(D) provides in pertinent part that an appellee’s failure to timely file an
appellee’s brief may result in reversal of the trial court on the appellant’s
showing of prima facie error. “When the Appellee fails to submit an answer
brief ‘we need not undertake the burden of developing an argument on the
[A]ppellee’s behalf.’” Front Row Motors, LLC v. Jones, 5 N.E.3d 753, 758 (Ind.
2014) (quoting Trinity Homes, LLC v. Fang, 848 N.E.2d 1065, 1068 (Ind. 2006)).
“Instead ‘we will reverse the trial court’s judgment if the appellant’s brief
presents a case of prima facie error.’” Id. “Prima facie error in this context is
defined as ‘at first sight, on first appearance, or on the face of it.’” Id. (quoting
Santana v. Santana, 708 N.E.2d 886, 887 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999)).
[6] Commitment of M.M. v. Clarian Health Partners, 826 N.E.2d 90, 96 (Ind. Ct. App.
2005), trans. denied, states the following about appellate review of the sufficiency
of the evidence in commitment proceedings:
2 The State observed in its notice of non-participation that because J.C. was never placed in a state-operated facility, despite the language of the court order, it has no interest in this appeal; thus, no brief was filed. The Hospital has not filed a brief with this Court despite its standing as appellee-petitioner.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 3 of 8 When reviewing a challenge to sufficiency of the evidence with respect to commitment proceedings, we look to the evidence most favorable to the trial court’s decision and draw all reasonable inferences from that decision. We neither reweigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of the witnesses. If the trial court’s commitment order represents a conclusion that a reasonable person could have drawn, we will affirm the order even if other reasonable conclusions are possible.
(internal citations omitted) (emphasis added).
[7] Indiana Code section 12-26-7-1 (1992) et seq. applies to the regular commitment
of an adult alleged to be mentally ill and either dangerous or gravely disabled,
and whose commitment is reasonably expected to require custody, care, or
treatment in a facility for more than ninety days. “Civil commitment is a
significant deprivation of liberty that requires due process protections.” M.M.,
826 N.E.2d at 96. This is why Indiana Code section 12-26-2-5(e) (2007)
requires the petitioner to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the
individual is mentally ill and either dangerous or gravely disabled and that
detention or commitment of that individual is appropriate.
[8] Indiana Code section 12-7-2-53 (1992) defines “dangerous” as follows:
“‘Dangerous,’ for purposes of IC 12-26, means a condition in which an
individual as a result of mental illness, presents a substantial risk that the
individual will harm the individual or others.” “Gravely disabled” is defined by
Indiana Code section 12-7-2-96 (1992) as follows:
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 4 of 8 Gravely disabled, for purposes of IC 12-26, means a condition in which an individual, as a result of mental illness, is in danger of coming to harm because the individual:
(1) is unable to provide for that individual’s food, clothing, shelter, or other essential human needs; or
(2) has a substantial impairment or an obvious deterioration of that individual’s judgment, reasoning, or behavior that results in the individual’s inability to function independently.
[9] Next, Indiana Code section 12-7-2-130 (2015) provides the following definition
of mental illness:
Mental illness means the following:
(1) For purposes of IC 12-23-5, IC 12-24, and IC 12-26, a psychiatric disorder that:
(A) substantially disturbs and individual’s thinking, feeling, or behavior; and
(B) impairs the individual’s ability to function.
The term includes intellectual disability, alcoholism, and addiction to narcotics or dangerous drugs.
[10] The evidence considered in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling
follows. Cantwell testified that in the past few months J.C. had been admitted
to the Hospital five times and had twelve emergency room visits. Most if not all
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MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED regarded as precedent or cited before any Feb 03 2020, 8:45 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK the defense of res judicata, collateral Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals and Tax Court estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT Kay A. Beehler Terre Haute, Indiana
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
In the Matter of the Involuntary February 3, 2020 Commitment of J.C. Court of Appeals Case No. 19A-MH-1436 Appeal from the Knox Superior Court The Honorable Gara U. Lee, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 42D01-1905-MH-45
Friedlander, Senior Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 1 of 8 [1] J.C. appeals from the trial court’s order granting a petition for involuntary 1 commitment filed by Samaritan Center/LaSalle Behavioral Health
(collectively “the Hospital”), contending that the evidence is insufficient to
support his commitment. We affirm.
[2] On May 12, 2019, J.C. appeared at the Hospital in an intoxicated state–his
blood alcohol content was .298. J.C. reported to staff that he had attempted to
kill himself prior to his arrival there but refused to be admitted as an inpatient.
Instead, he demanded to be returned home. Dr. Michael Cantwell, the medical
director of the inpatient psychiatric unit, gave his verbal authorization to submit
a physician’s emergency statement recommending the detention of J.C. at the
Hospital. The trial court then gave a verbal authorization endorsing the
emergency detention of J.C. at the Hospital.
[3] Next, on May 14, 2019, the Hospital filed a petition for involuntary
commitment, alleging that J.C. suffered from a psychiatric disorder, addiction
to narcotics or dangerous drugs, that he presented a substantial risk of harming
himself, and had made threats of suicide. The Hospital sought a regular
involuntary commitment.
[4] On May 21, 2019, the trial court held a hearing about J.C.’s commitment. Dr.
Cantwell and J.C. testified at that hearing. We will discuss the testimony in
1 Samaritan Center/LaSalle Behavior Health has chosen not to file an appellee’s brief in this matter. Additionally, the State of Indiana has filed, and this Court has accepted, a notice of non-participation.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 2 of 8 greater detail later. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court found that
J.C. suffered from alcohol dependence, was dangerous to himself, and was
gravely disabled, each as defined by statute. The trial court ordered J.C. to
receive rehabilitative treatment or rehabilitation and care at a state-operated
facility. J.C. now appeals.
2 [5] There has been no appellee’s brief filed in this appeal. Indiana Appellate Rule
45(D) provides in pertinent part that an appellee’s failure to timely file an
appellee’s brief may result in reversal of the trial court on the appellant’s
showing of prima facie error. “When the Appellee fails to submit an answer
brief ‘we need not undertake the burden of developing an argument on the
[A]ppellee’s behalf.’” Front Row Motors, LLC v. Jones, 5 N.E.3d 753, 758 (Ind.
2014) (quoting Trinity Homes, LLC v. Fang, 848 N.E.2d 1065, 1068 (Ind. 2006)).
“Instead ‘we will reverse the trial court’s judgment if the appellant’s brief
presents a case of prima facie error.’” Id. “Prima facie error in this context is
defined as ‘at first sight, on first appearance, or on the face of it.’” Id. (quoting
Santana v. Santana, 708 N.E.2d 886, 887 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999)).
[6] Commitment of M.M. v. Clarian Health Partners, 826 N.E.2d 90, 96 (Ind. Ct. App.
2005), trans. denied, states the following about appellate review of the sufficiency
of the evidence in commitment proceedings:
2 The State observed in its notice of non-participation that because J.C. was never placed in a state-operated facility, despite the language of the court order, it has no interest in this appeal; thus, no brief was filed. The Hospital has not filed a brief with this Court despite its standing as appellee-petitioner.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 3 of 8 When reviewing a challenge to sufficiency of the evidence with respect to commitment proceedings, we look to the evidence most favorable to the trial court’s decision and draw all reasonable inferences from that decision. We neither reweigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of the witnesses. If the trial court’s commitment order represents a conclusion that a reasonable person could have drawn, we will affirm the order even if other reasonable conclusions are possible.
(internal citations omitted) (emphasis added).
[7] Indiana Code section 12-26-7-1 (1992) et seq. applies to the regular commitment
of an adult alleged to be mentally ill and either dangerous or gravely disabled,
and whose commitment is reasonably expected to require custody, care, or
treatment in a facility for more than ninety days. “Civil commitment is a
significant deprivation of liberty that requires due process protections.” M.M.,
826 N.E.2d at 96. This is why Indiana Code section 12-26-2-5(e) (2007)
requires the petitioner to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the
individual is mentally ill and either dangerous or gravely disabled and that
detention or commitment of that individual is appropriate.
[8] Indiana Code section 12-7-2-53 (1992) defines “dangerous” as follows:
“‘Dangerous,’ for purposes of IC 12-26, means a condition in which an
individual as a result of mental illness, presents a substantial risk that the
individual will harm the individual or others.” “Gravely disabled” is defined by
Indiana Code section 12-7-2-96 (1992) as follows:
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 4 of 8 Gravely disabled, for purposes of IC 12-26, means a condition in which an individual, as a result of mental illness, is in danger of coming to harm because the individual:
(1) is unable to provide for that individual’s food, clothing, shelter, or other essential human needs; or
(2) has a substantial impairment or an obvious deterioration of that individual’s judgment, reasoning, or behavior that results in the individual’s inability to function independently.
[9] Next, Indiana Code section 12-7-2-130 (2015) provides the following definition
of mental illness:
Mental illness means the following:
(1) For purposes of IC 12-23-5, IC 12-24, and IC 12-26, a psychiatric disorder that:
(A) substantially disturbs and individual’s thinking, feeling, or behavior; and
(B) impairs the individual’s ability to function.
The term includes intellectual disability, alcoholism, and addiction to narcotics or dangerous drugs.
[10] The evidence considered in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling
follows. Cantwell testified that in the past few months J.C. had been admitted
to the Hospital five times and had twelve emergency room visits. Most if not all
of the admissions to the Hospital were related to J.C.’s alcohol use. Cantwell
testified that J.C.’s “[b]lood alcohol level is extremely high and he’s having a lot
of medical complications from his alcohol dependence that have resulted in
emergency room visits and then admissions to the medical floor.” Tr. Vol. II,
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 5 of 8 pp. 4-5. J.C. was hospitalized then released for two to three days before he
became very intoxicated and came back to the hospital talking about suicide.
[11] Dr. Cantwell further testified that J.C. does not attend outpatient appointments.
The Hospital has recommended that J.C. receive residential treatment, but J.C.
refuses the recommended treatment. Cantwell testified that the only course of
action likely to result in any improvement in his condition is inpatient
treatment.
[12] He went on to state that J.C.’s “psychosocial situation is not conducive to” an
improved state of health and abstinence from alcohol. Id. at 6. Cantwell
reported that J.C. was “basically homeless. All of his possessions are in a
storage shed.” Id. J.C.’s specific diagnosis was alcohol dependence and he is a
danger to himself because he becomes intoxicated, threatens suicide, and fails
to “take care of himself medically either because he’s not capable of it, so
currently he’s gravely disabled.” Id.
[13] Additionally, Dr. Cantwell testified that some of J.C.’s visits to the emergency
room of the Hospital were due to his chronic medical conditions, likely related
to his alcohol problem.
[14] J.C. testified that he took classes at a center to learn to abstain from drinking
and that he no longer wished to be around people who had encouraged him to
drink in the past. He disputed Dr. Cantwell’s testimony that all of his
possessions were in storage by stating that his ex-wife took everything and that
all he had was the clothes he was wearing at the hearing. J.C. further testified
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 6 of 8 that he could not afford to live at one of the sober living houses, but also
testified that someone at the Hospital had tried to find a living arrangement that
would fall within his budget.
[15] After hearing all of the testimony, the trial court found that J.C. needed
something more structured and long lasting than outpatient recommendations
and trips to the Hospital, which is not an alcohol treatment facility.
[16] Here, the evidence most favorable to the trial court’s judgment and the
reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom, establish that J.C.’s alcohol
dependence qualifies as a mental illness under the statutory definition quoted
above. See Ind. Code § 12-7-2-130. Further, J.C. arrived at the Hospital in a
state of extreme intoxication and has spoken about his suicidal thoughts and
ideations. On several of those occasions, J.C. has been admitted to the
Hospital. Other visits to the Hospital have been to address chronic health issues
related to J.C.’s alcohol dependence. This evidence supports the trial court’s
finding that J.C. was a danger to himself as a result of his mental illness. See 3 Ind. Code § 12-7-2-53. The Hospital was not required by statute to establish
that J.C. was both dangerous and gravely disabled, however, there is sufficient
evidence to support both conditions. As a result of his untreated mental illness,
J.C. was unable to provide for his clothing and shelter and admittedly had no
possessions of his own.
3 Ind. Code § 12-26-7-1.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 7 of 8 [17] Although J.C. points to his testimony that he was not suicidal at the time of the
hearing, Dr. Cantwell testified that J.C. had been released from the Hospital for
only two or three days before returning in an intoxicated state and talking about
suicide. J.C.’s argument that the evidence of his drinking behavior “may have
described only risky behavior” is contradicted by Dr. Cantwell’s testimony.
[18] Even though a reasonable person might conclude from the evidence presented
that J.C. was now willing to obtain the necessary treatment and to maintain
compliance with such, at least as of the day of the hearing, the evidence to the
contrary about his history of noncompliance and refusal of treatment options is
sufficient to support the trial court’s order of his involuntary commitment.
[19] Judgment affirmed.
Vaidik, J., and Brown, J., concur.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 19A-MH-1436 | February 3, 2020 Page 8 of 8