Association for Retarded Citizens of ND v. Olson
| Decision Date | 31 August 1982 |
| Docket Number | Civ. No. A1-80-141. |
| Parties | ASSOCIATION FOR RETARDED CITIZENS OF NORTH DAKOTA, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Allen I. OLSON, Governor of the State of North Dakota, et al., Defendants. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — District of South Dakota |
COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED
Michael J. Williams, Bismarck, N.D., Mary Deutsch Schneider, Legal Assistance of N.D., Fargo, N.D., for plaintiffs.
Robert O. Wefald, Atty. Gen., Rick D. Johnson, Daniel L. Hovland, Asst. Attys. Gen., Albert A. Wolf, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Bismarck, N.D., for defendants.
The Association for Retarded Citizens of North Dakota, a non-profit North Dakota corporation formed in 1957, and six mentally retarded citizens of North Dakota brought this class action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief regarding treatment and conditions in the Grafton and San Haven state facilities and alternatives to placement to those facilities. The defendants are public officials responsible for the care and condition of the mentally retarded citizens the plaintiffs represent.
This court granted plaintiffs authority to proceed with this action as a class action under Rule 23(a), (b)(1), and (b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The plaintiff class now consists of the Association for Retarded Citizens (A.R.C.) and all persons who, as of September 26, 1980, and at any time thereafter, have been or may become residents of the Grafton state school. The Grafton state school consists of two campuses, one located at Grafton, and the other, called San Haven, located at Dunseith.
Prior to the trial of this case, on November 4, 1981, the court issued a Decree and Order with consent of the parties. The court decreed that the plaintiffs who are residents of the Grafton State School have rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Section 25-01.2-02 of the North Dakota Century Code including the right to minimally adequate treatment and care, and to have the defendants provide the least restrictive practicable alternatives to hospitalization. To enforce these rights the court ordered the defendants to limit the use of medications, to cease corporal punishment, neglect and abuse, to reduce the use of physical restraints, to institute proper feeding programs and fire standards, to conduct a skill and needs inventory on all residents, and to hire an additional 125 specified personnel.
On December 16, 1981, the court issued a second order finding that plaintiffs were prevailing parties, based on the defendants admission of liability and the defendants offer for judgment. Upon this finding, the court awarded to the plaintiffs $183,197.50 as interim attorneys' fees.
The defendants having failed to comply with the provisions of either order, on May 7, 1982, the Court ordered the defendants either to hire the additional 125 personnel specified in the November 4, 1981 order or to transfer all residents of Grafton and San Haven to hospitals or other facilities which are adequately staffed by September 1, 1982. In addition, the court declared that plaintiffs were entitled to interest on the fees and expenses previously awarded and repayment of interest paid to lending agencies for operational loans.
The trial of this lawsuit lasted 31 days, running from January 28, 1982 to May 14, 1982. During this time the court heard extensive testimony of health professionals from all areas in the care and treatment of the mentally retarded. Following the trial, the parties submitted post-trial briefs to the court along with plans for the implementation of the court's proposed order.
The North Dakota Constitution as originally adopted in 1889 made no provision for a separate school for the "feeble-minded." In 1904 the Constitution was amended to provide:
"... there shall be located at or near the city of Grafton, in the County of Walsh, an institution for the feebleminded, ...."1
In 1943 the San Haven facility, originally constructed as a tuberculosis sanatarium, was transferred into the Grafton state school.2
The history of treatment of retarded persons encompasses at least three distinct phases which are reflected in the statutory history of North Dakota law concerning the care and treatment of the retarded.3 Originally the institutions for the retarded were considered as temporary special care facilities. They were often called "schools."
The decades before 1940 saw the development of permanent care facilities operated under the theory now referred to as "medical model." This theory held that retarded and malformed persons were not capable of self improvement; so society could only care for them in a humane manner throughout their lives. During this period, laws of the various states dealt with "sterilization of the congenitally feebleminded" and distinguished the "trainable" as against the "educable." In the aftermath of World War II, and initially in the French military hospitals, the use of psychotropic (conduct controlling) drugs was developed and expanded. States began to use these drugs in the care of the mentally retarded. This development fitted into the "medical model" under which the schools for the retarded were being administered. The states did what they could, medically, to alleviate the suffering of retarded and malformed children, and to protect against their propagation. And having done that, the states provided the retarded with custodial care for the duration of their lives.
In the last three decades, behavioral scientists have developed techniques and practices which demonstrate that, with proper care and training, retarded and developmentally disabled persons can improve their skills and learn new skills far beyond what was believed possible in the 1940's and 1950's. This concept of institutionalization and care is referred to as the "developmental model." But there is also a growing awareness that the "developmental model" for care of the retarded persons has its limitations.
Mental retardation is defined as significantly below average intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior, and manifested during the developmental period. For a person to be diagnosed as being mentally retarded, impairments in intellectual functioning must co-exist with deficits in adaptive behavior. To determine the existence of mental retardation, standardized tests must be administered to the individual to measure I.Q. and adaptive behavior levels. Knowledge of the relationship between intelligence and adaptive behavior is incomplete. Within the framework of the accepted definition of mental retardation, an individual may meet the criteria of mental retardation at one time in life and not at some other time. A change in status may be the result of an alteration in intellectual functioning, changes in adaptive behavior, changes in the expectations of society, or for a vast number of other known and unknown reasons.
Based upon functioning levels as determined through testing by professionals, mentally retarded persons may be described as falling into one of four functioning levels. These four levels in descending order based on ability to function are:
1. Mild;
2. Moderate;
3. Severe; and
4. Profound.*
The I.Q. ranges corresponding to each level or classification of mental retardation are as follows:
Mild 52-67
Moderate 36-51
Severe 20-35
Profound less than 20
Despite recent advances in the field of mental retardation and a shift in treatment philosophies and modalities, it has not been shown that all persons who are mentally retarded have the developmental potential to become self-sufficient and independent. Nor has it been shown that all mentally retarded persons are capable of continuous meaningful and significant progress.
At the time of trial there were approximately 800 persons confined at Grafton and 250 persons confined at San Haven. The residents at Grafton and San Haven are drawn mainly from those who have severe physical, intellectual, emotional and social handicaps. Approximately 496 residents are unable to dress themselves, 243 residents are unable to walk, 288 residents are unable to speak, and 371 residents are incontinent.4
The Grafton campus is located on the west edge of the City of Grafton. It is adjacent to a city park and is able to utilize the city's paved street system for access. The campus is well landscaped and the trees and shrubs are mature.
The campus consists of the Professional Service Building, Collette Auditorium, the Health Service Center, Food Service Center, and the following residential halls: Sunset Hall, Wylie Hall, West Hall, Midway Hall, and North A and B complexes, plus the usual campus heating plant, shops, and so forth.
The campus is tied together with tunnels which allow winter movement among buildings. The tunnels vary in quality with the age of the buildings they serve. The tunnels also assist in maintenance of central heating and other service lines. The tunnel system, while necessary, is inadequate and dangerous, particularly when over loaded, as at mealtime.
The San Haven Campus, lying on the south slope of the Turtle Mountains, is in an attractive setting. The campus consists of the original tuberculosis sanatarium plus an addition to the east and an addition to the west. About twenty rods south of the main buildings is the food services building on the campus. The food services building and the main building are connected by a tunnel.
The remaining campus buildings are staff housing and service buildings.
The main building is largely taken up with administration and special project rooms. The east addition has three floors of large dormitories which house...
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