Mark Rivers v. Stephen Katz
New York Court of Appeals
504 N.Y.S.2d 74 (1986)
- Written by Monica Rottermann , JD
Facts
In 1984, three involuntarily committed patients, including Mark Rivers (plaintiff), sought declaratory and injunctive relief against Stephen Katz (defendant), commissioner of Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center. Rivers was forcibly medicated with antipsychotic drugs pursuant to a court order entered after an administrative review. Rivers argued that he had a constitutionally protected right to refuse the medication. The lower court dismissed all complaints, finding that the three patients were unable to competently choose their treatment in light of their involuntary commitment. Separate appeals were filed, and the court of appeals consolidated the cases.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Alexander, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.