On Sept. 6, 2012, plaintiff’s decedent Jacob Reyna, 16, had a fight with his father, plaintiff John Reyna, whom Jacob lived with in a recreational vehicle in the driveway of his grandparents’ home in Ontario. After the fight, Jacob’s father called 911, claiming that his son threatened to kill himself by taking prescription medications. As a result, Jacob was involuntarily admitted to Canyon Ridge Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Chino, where he was placed on a 72-hour hold, per Welfare and Institutions Code § 5150. He was subsequently seen by Dr. Enrico Balcos, a treating psychiatrist at the hospital, who placed Jacob on Prozac. On Sept. 9, 2012, Jacob was discharged from the hospital with a prescription for an increased dosage of Prozac, which was to be filled later. However, Jacob committed suicide by overdosing on prescription medications on Sept. 20, 2012. Though Prozac was in his system, he overdosed on other medications. The decedent’s father, John Reyna, sued Canyon Ridge Hospital Inc. and Balcos. John Reyna alleged that the defendants failed to properly treat his only son, resulting in his wrongful death, and that this failure constituted medical malpractice. Canyon Ridge Hospital was ultimately dismissed from the case prior to trial. Thus, the matter proceeded to trial against Balcos only. Plaintiff’s counsel argued that it was not proper to place the decedent on Prozac. Counsel contended that the alleged consent did not meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines for placing a patient on antidepressants, as Prozac had a “black box” warning, indicating that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in some children and adolescents with major depressive disorders. Plaintiff’s counsel argued that consent was not obtained from John Reyna, to place Jacob, a minor, on Prozac. Counsel also argued that Jacob should not have been discharged so prematurely and that Jacob’s stay should have been extended to 14 days. Thus, plaintiff’s counsel argued that the actual discharge planning and follow-up plan for Jacob was inadequate and that the post-discharge follow-up recommendations were not sufficient. Specifically, counsel contended that the two facilities offered for follow-up care could not adequately treat Jacob’s condition and that Balcos needed to call the referring psychiatrist to make arrangements for Jacob. The plaintiff’s psychiatry expert opined that Jacob should have stayed longer, that he did not believe the consent was documented properly, and that further therapy, including family therapy, should have been instituted at Canyon Ridge. The expert also opined that the discharge was not properly handled and that the follow-up facilities and recommendations were inadequate. Defense counsel argued that Jacob was suffering from major depression and that it was appropriate to prescribe the antidepressant Prozac. Counsel contended that verbal consent was obtained from Jacob’s father, John Reyna, and that his consent was documented along with Balcos’ discussion with John Reyna about Jacob. Counsel also contended that when the prescription was filled at Walgreen’s, it also had an obligation to explain the black box warning. Defense counsel further contended that Jacob responded well to a variety of therapies during the three-day hospitalization and that he was stable at the time of discharge. The defense’s psychiatry expert opined that the standard of care was met and that Jacob responded well during the three-day stay. The expert also opined that prescribing 10- to 20-milligrams of Prozac initially was appropriate and that the documentation regarding the obtained consent from John Reyna was appropriate. He further opined that the discharge and follow-up were appropriate, that the follow-up aftercare was proper, and that the phone numbers and information regarding the follow-up care met the standard of care. In response, plaintiff’s counsel argued that Jacob’s father was never consulted nor did John Reyna offer his consent., After his discharge from the hospital, Jacob returned to school as a sophomore. He later committed suicide by overdosing on prescription medications on Sept. 20, 2012. He was 16 years old. John Reyna sought recovery of wrongful death damages for the loss of his only son. Defense counsel noted that, based on the testimony of John Reyna, Jacob did well after his discharge from the hospital.