In Re Christopher H., 12 A.3d 64

Christopher H., 21, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was involuntarily admitted to Spring Harbor Hospital in July 2009 under 34-B M.R.S. § 3863 on an emergency application.
DHHS filed a continuation application under § 3864 alleging likelihood of serious harm, and the court appointed counsel and two independent examiners.
Over ten days, Christopher exhibited severe psychotic symptoms; hospital administered Geodon, Haldol, and a benzodiazepine involuntarily due to escalating risk.
The hearing occurred the day after medication administration; Christopher was highly sedated and had limited ability to communicate; court acknowledged the sedation.
The court found statutory requirements satisfied and ordered continued hospitalization for up to 120 days; the Superior Court later affirmed, and Christopher appealed.
The commitment order expired during the appeal; the issue of whether medication-induced sedation affected participation became central to the appeal.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Did the involuntary medications violate due process by impairing participation at the hearing?	H contends due process requires inquiry into medication impact.	Department asserts statutory safeguards suffice; no need for colloquy.	Issue analyzed; court required record-oriented inquiry but upheld judgment.
Is the appeal moot, and were preservation rules properly applied?	H argues mootness and preservation do not bar merits.	State argues mootness exceptions apply and issue was preserved.	Not moot for public-interest and repeat-review reasons; preservation deemed warranted for review.
Must the judgment explicitly state that clear and convincing evidence standard was used?	Not raised by H; record should reflect standard applied.	No explicit statement required unless clearly missing.	Remanded to explicitly indicate the standard applied in future cases.

In re Walter R., 2004 ME 77 (Me. 2004) (mootness and collateral consequences framework for involuntary commitments)
In re Faucher, 558 A.2d 706 (Me. 1999) (recurring issues; timeliness and review of commitment matters)
Bates v. Dep't of Behavioral & Developmental Servs., 2004 ME 154 (Me. 2004) (procedural guidance for appellate review; due process considerations)