Commercial Distributors, Inc. v. Blankenship

A mentally-ill resident of a licensed home for adults left the premises of the home and died by suicide. His personal representative brought this action, contending that the home was negligent in three respects: (1) in failing “to hospitalize” the resident sooner, (2) in failing to restrain or monitor the resident after a decision to hospitalize him had been made, and (3) in failing to maintain an adequate staff. This appeal raises questions concerning negligence, proximate cause, and the necessity for expert testimony.

I. FACTS

Jackie Allen Eppling (Eppling) was 46 years old at the time of his…