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Recent Case: United States V. Hayes, 227 F.3d 578 (6th Cir. 2000), Emily Gold Waldman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

In 1996, the Supreme Court recognized the existence of a federal psychotherapist-patient privilege in Jaffee v. Redmond. The Court did not explain, however, how this evidentiary privilege should coexist with a psychotherapist's so-called Tarasoff duty to breach confidentiality when necessary to protect third parties against whom a patient has articulated serious threats. Jaffee included a footnote indicating that the privilege was not intended to invalidate this duty, but left unclear whether the privilege continues once disclosure of the patient's threats has breached confidentiality. Indeed, the two circuits that have considered this issue since Jaffee have adopted divergent approaches. The Tenth …