Willacy v. Lewis

MEMORANDUM

GESELL, District Judge.

Motions now before the Court present the question whether a private physician who detains an individual and makes application for that person’s admission to a hospital pursuant to D.C.Code § 21-521, which authorizes such action if the individual’s, physician has reason to believe the patient is mentally ill, thereby acts “under color of state law” within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 1

Plaintiff alleges that she was detained and involuntarily committed to a mental hospital based on a misdiagnosis that she was mentally ill. The ten counts of her complaint…