Jury finds Mayo not negligent in suicide
A jury has found Mayo Clinic not negligent in the 2009 death of a psychiatric patient who killed himself.
At issue was whether negligence by Mayo caused the death of 39-year-old Kevin Harms.
Harms died after jumping off a parking ramp roof in May 2009. Harms left a group of psychiatric patients who were on a supervised walk on Mayo Clinic property.
Bill Stoeri, an attorney for Mayo, argued Harms was thoroughly assessed before being allowed to go on the walk.
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Jim Carey, the attorney for Harms' wife, contended the clinic failed to reasonably supervise and protect the patient and that allowing him to go on the walk was an unnecessary risk.
The Post-Bulletin reports the jury reached its verdict Monday after four hours of deliberation.
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Information from: Post-Bulletin
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)