Hamman v. County of Maricopa

(Retired).

We granted the plaintiffs’ petition for review to determine the nature and extent of a psychiatrist’s duty to third parties injured by the psychiatrist’s patient. The plaintiffs filed a tort action against the defendants for injuries inflicted on Robert Hamman by John Carter, a patient of the defendant, Dr. Manuel Suguitan. The superior court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and the Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the lower court in part and reversed in part. 161 Ariz. 53, 775 P.2d 1117 (App.1987).

FACTS

The facts are a matter of great dispute between the…