Rocco v. Department of Mental Health

On January 7, 1980, plaintiffs’ decedent, Daniel Rocco, was a resident patient of the Ypsilanti Regional Psychiatric Hospital (hospital). That night, while he was sleeping in his hospital bed, Rocco was murdered by another pa*795tient. The murderer was Andrew Higginbotham, a patient who had a history of violence and assaultive behavior.

Plaintiffs filed a complaint in the Court of Claims against two state agencies (the Department of Social Services and the Department of Mental Health) which supervise the administration of the hospital, and the hospital. The state agencies and hospital are…