Hertog, ex Rel., Sah v. City of Seattle

Summary

The Washington Supreme Court held that municipal probation counselors and county pretrial release counselors with supervisory authority owe a duty to protect others from reasonably foreseeable harm caused by the dangerous propensities of persons under their supervision. The court also held that factual disputes concerning the adequacy of supervision and causation precluded summary judgment, and that the requested treatment records were discoverable because the release authorization eliminated any reasonable expectation of confidentiality and good cause supported disclosure. The Court of Appeals was affirmed.