Washington fined $100 million for ongoing competency-system failures
In the case's third major contempt finding, Judge Pechman ordered DSHS to pay $100.3 million after concluding the agency had "never once been in compliance" with the case's deadlines. Average waits for state-hospital admission had reached 130 days, worsened in part by the agency's own decision to close hospital wards during new-facility construction.
The ruling was among the largest civil contempt fines in the case's history and drew renewed legislative attention to the capacity problems underlying the delays.
Source: Federal judge fines WA agency $100 million for mental health failures — The Spokesman-Review, by Esmy Jimenez, Seattle Times
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