Rickards Law Wins Appeal In Involuntary Commitment Case

The Appellate Division of New Jersey has sided with The Law Office of Jordan B. Rickards, Esq., in an appeal of a decision involving the involuntary commitment of a patient under the care of the State of New Jersey. Rickards was hired by J. Daniela Fama, Esq., representing the State of New Jersey, to write the appellate brief for “In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of K.A.” (docket no. A-3861-14T2, unpublished), in defense of the trial judge’s decision to maintain the involuntary commitment. In finding that the trial judge acted properly, the Appellate Division noted that “The judge’s decision to continue the involuntary commitment was supported by expert testimony. It was undisputed that K.A. needed prompting to attend to all of his personal needs: getting out of bed, showering, changing his clothes, and taking his medications. Prior to the commitment, he was non-compliant with his medications and attempted to harm himself. At the time of the hearing, medical staff had been unable to contact family members in order to make a baseline assessment of K.A. and establish a placement plan for his discharge. The psychiatrist testified that K.A. suffered from “thought blocking”; the doctor was not yet sure if it was a positive or negative symptom of psychosis. These facts were sufficient to provide clear and convincing evidence for the judge’s determination to continue the involuntary commitment.

The Law Office of Jordan B. Rickards, Esq., LLC, offers brief writing services to other attorneys and law firms for motions and appeals.

A copy of the Appellate Division’s decision is available by clicking here.