Scovill v. City of Astoria

In this tort case, Marilyn Scovill, while intoxicated, walked into a city street against a red light and was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle. This case arises out of the fact that Scovill died just after leaving the City of Astoria’s police station. The city is the defendant here because police officers employed by it failed to take Scovill into protective custody or to a treatment facility for the intoxicated, although they had an opportunity and, it is alleged, reasonable grounds to do so before she left the station.

At the time of Scovill’s death, ORS 426.460(1) (1989), now…