Filed Date: Sept. 28, 1972
Closed Date: 1984
Clearinghouse coding complete
On September 28, 1972, parents of residents with intellectual disabilities of the Beatrice State Home brought a civil rights class action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the U.S. District Court for Nebraska, alleging that the physical conditions, care, treatment and training provided at the Beatrice State Home did not meet constitutional standards. Plaintiffs maintained that less restrictive community alternatives were available which would provide them adequate care, treatment, education and training. The plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief.
Defendants moved to dismiss the action for failure to state a claim. On March 22, 1973, the District Court (Chief Judge Urbom) denied defendants' motion. Horacek v. Exon , 357 F.Supp. 71 (D.Neb.1973).
The National Center for Law and the Handicapped and the U.S. Department of Justice were allowed to intervene in the case as amicus curiae.
Discovery commenced and the parties eventually reached a settlement of the case. The District Court entered and approved the Consent Decree on October 31, 1975. The Decree called for periodic evaluations to determine the most appropriate manner to transfer residents of the Beatrice State Home to less restrictive community based mental health facilities. In the event that a parent or legal guardian of any resident of the home objected to such a transfer, the Decree provided that due process hearing would be held before the Nebraska State Department of Public Institutions (DPI).
Litigation regarding implementation and compliance with the Consent Decree ensued and continued for years.
Due to the age of the case, no PACER docket exists. Our information about the subsequent procedural history is limited to the pre-PACER docket, which is part of the case documents.
According to the docket, the District Court (Judge Albert G. Schatz) entered a TRO and injunction on December 28, 1978 regarding construction at the Beatrice Home. Numerous modifications to the implementation plan followed. On September 28, 1981, the Court approved defendants' Plan of Implementation and dissolved the previously issued injunction. Thereafter, periodic progress reports were submitted to the Court.
In 1982, an attorney for a Beatrice resident who objected to his transfer sought attorney's fees for his representation. The District Court (Judge Albert G. Schatz) denied the fee request. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (Judge Ross) affirmed. Horacek V. Thone, 710 F.2d 496 (8th Cir. 1983).
On January 31, 1984, the case was dismissed and closed. Progress reports were filed in 1985 and 1986. No other substantive activity was noted on the docket
Summary Authors
Dan Dalton (4/17/2007)
Dinerstein, Robert D. (District of Columbia)
Green, J. Patrick (Nebraska)
Douglas, Paul L. (Nebraska)
Broom, Robert V. (Nebraska)
Fischer, Gary L. (Nebraska)
Ross, Donald Roe (Nebraska)
Schatz, Albert Gerard (Nebraska)
Urbom, Warren Keith (Nebraska)
Last updated Jan. 18, 2024, 3:11 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Nebraska
Case Type(s):
Intellectual Disability (Facility)
Key Dates
Filing Date: Sept. 28, 1972
Closing Date: 1984
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Mentally retarded residents of Beatrice State Home.
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Substantive Due Process
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 1975 - 1984
Issues
General:
Deinstitutionalization/decarceration
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Habilitation (training/treatment)
Disability and Disability Rights:
Intellectual/developmental disability, unspecified
Type of Facility: