Filed Date: Aug. 15, 1989
Closed Date: 1993
Clearinghouse coding complete
On August 15, 1989, two patients at the Connecticut Valley Hospital, a state mental institution in Middletown, Connecticut, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all persons with intellectual disabilities who were or would be patients at the Hospital. The plaintiffs, represented by Yale Legal Services, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, was brought against the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
The plaintiffs claimed that the State violated their constitutional rights by subjecting them to physical and chemical restraints and placing them in seclusion. They further alleged that the State failed to provide structured behavioral programs and treatment, and that it had ignored state probate court orders to do so.
The defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss. On March 9, 1990, the court (Judge Peter C. Dorsey) denied the defendants' motion. Mihalcik v. Lensink, 732 F. Supp. 299 (D. Conn. 1990).
According to the PACER docket, on March 5, 1993, the parties filed a Joint Motion for Approval of Stipulation and Order resolving all outstanding issues in the case. On March 12, 1993, the court (Judge Dorsey) approved the Order and ordered the case to be dismissed the same day. The parties were ordered to continue to submit status reports to the court every six months.
We have only the opinion and a few docket entries in the file so we have no further information on this case.
Summary Authors
Laura Uberti (7/17/2006)
Dorsey, Peter Collins (Connecticut)
Frank, Jerome N (Connecticut)
Comerford, Jane D. (Connecticut)
Gerner, Patricia A. (Connecticut)
Lahey, Paul J. (Connecticut)
Dorsey, Peter Collins (Connecticut)
Last updated March 26, 2024, 3:04 a.m.
State / Territory: Connecticut
Case Type(s):
Intellectual Disability (Facility)
Key Dates
Filing Date: Aug. 15, 1989
Closing Date: 1993
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
All persons with mental retardation who were or would be patients at Connecticut Valley Hospital.
Attorney Organizations:
Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization (Yale)
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation, State
Connecticut Valley Hospital (Middletown), State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
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
Issues
General:
Reassessment and care planning
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Disability and Disability Rights:
Intellectual/developmental disability, unspecified
Type of Facility: