This document summarizes the 1976 California Supreme Court case Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California. In the case, the court ruled that when a mental health professional determines a patient poses a serious danger to a specific individual, the professional has a duty to use reasonable care to protect that individual. This may include warning the intended victim or notifying authorities. The case involved a psychologist who did not warn the victim after his patient said he intended to kill her.
1. Tarasoff
v.
Regents of the University
of California
551 P.2d 334 (1976)
Copyright 2002 Lawrence O. Gostin. No claim made to original government works Doc. 10551334