Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California
Supreme Court of California
Decided July 1, 1976
Full case name	Vitali Tarasoff, et al., Plaintiffs-Petitioners v. Regents of the University of California, et al., Defendants-Respondents.
Citation(s)	17 Cal. 3d 425, 551 P.2d 334, 131 Cal. Rptr. 14
Case history
Prior history	Appeal from sustained demurrer
Holding
Psychotherapists have a duty to protect an individual they reasonably believe to be at risk of injury on the basis of a patient's confidential statements.
Court membership
Chief Justice	Donald Wright
Associate Justices	Raymond L. Sullivan, Marshall F. McComb, Matthew O. Tobriner, William P. Clark, Jr., Stanley Mosk, Frank K. Richardson
Case opinions
Majority	Tobriner, joined by Wright, Sullivan, Richardson
Concur/dissent	Mosk
Dissent	Clark, joined by McComb

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, 17 Cal. 3d 425, 551 P.2d 334, 131 Cal. Rptr. 14 (Cal. 1976), was a case in which the Supreme Court of California held that mental health professionals have a duty to protect individuals who are being threatened with bodily harm by a patient. The original 1974 decision mandated warning the threatened individual, but a 1976 rehearing of the case by the California Supreme Court called for a "duty to protect" the intended victim. The professional may discharge the duty in several ways, including notifying police, warning the intended victim, and/or taking other reasonable steps to protect the threatened individual.