Richards v. Douglas County

The plaintiff, Neva Richards, was severely injured when she was stabbed seven times by Theodore LaBute while attending a, church service at the Pathway of Light Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 21, 1977. The attack was entirely unprovoked. LaBute had a history of mental illness and was a stranger to the plaintiff.

This action was brought against Douglas County, Nebraska, to recover damages for the injuries the plaintiff sustained in the stabbing incident. The plaintiff’s theory of the case was that an employee of the county had negligently failed to accept and process an “application”…