Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 319j - Addiction Services
Section 17a-689. (Formerly Sec. 19a-126i). - Liability of medical or police officer. False commitment and fraud, penalties.

(a) No medical officer or staff member of a treatment facility or hospital who submits any report or files any petition required or authorized by sections 17a-673 and 17a-680 to 17a-690, inclusive, shall be held to have violated any otherwise confidential relationship.

(b) Any medical officer or staff member of a treatment facility or hospital acting in compliance with sections 17a-673 and 17a-680 to 17a-690, inclusive, shall be deemed to be acting in the course of his official duty and shall not be criminally or civilly liable therefor.
(c) Any police officer acting in compliance with sections 17a-465, 17a-673 and 17a-680 to 17a-690, inclusive, shall be deemed to be acting in the course of official duty and shall not be criminally or civilly liable therefor.
(d) Any person who is lawfully designated to assist in protective custody and transport under the provisions of section 17a-683 shall be deemed to be acting in the course of official duty and shall not be criminally or civilly liable therefor.
(e) Any person who wilfully and knowingly causes or attempts to cause any person not an alcohol-dependent person or not a drug-dependent person to be committed pursuant to section 17a-684, or section 17a-685, or any person who knowingly makes a false statement of fact or belief in any petition, certificate or report required by sections 17a-673 and 17a-680 to 17a-690, inclusive, or any person who wilfully and knowingly reports falsely to any court, judge, prosecutor or law enforcement officer that any person is an alcohol-dependent person or a drug-dependent person, may be imprisoned not more than one year or fined not more than one thousand dollars or both.
(f) Any person who fraudulently makes application for treatment as a drug-dependent person, or who makes more than one application for such treatment with the intent of obtaining controlled drugs in excess of that provided for a patient in treatment or to conceal or thwart a prior treatment program at another or the same treatment facility, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
(P.A. 74-280, S. 19, 25; P.A. 75-569, S. 12; P.A. 86-371, S. 11, 45; P.A. 90-209, S. 11; P.A. 93-381, S. 19, 39; P.A. 99-234, S. 8; P.A. 09-145, S. 16.)
History: P.A. 75-569 added references to licensed facilities, inserted new Subsec. (d) re persons acting in course of official duty and relettered former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e); P.A. 86-371 substituted reference to executive director for reference to commissioner of mental health; P.A. 90-209 substituted “treatment facility or hospital” for “medical or licensed treatment facility” in Subsec. (a) and for “licensed treatment or other medical facility” in Subsec. (b), in Subsec. (e) substituted “alcohol-dependent person” for “alcoholic” and added references to drug-dependent persons (transferred from repealed Sec. 19a-392 with changes) and added that the penalties apply to false statements in certificates required by the chapter and added new Subsec. (f) re penalties for fraudulent applications (transferred from repealed Sec. 19a-391 with technical changes); Sec. 17-155cc transferred to Sec. 17a-631 in 1991; P.A. 93-381 made technical changes, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17a-631 transferred to Sec. 19a-126i in 1995; Sec. 19a-126i transferred to Sec. 17a-689 in 1997; P.A. 99-234 deleted obsolete reference to Sec. 17a-677; P.A. 09-145 amended Subsecs. (a), (b), (c) and (e) by deleting references to Sec. 17a-465a and amended Subsec. (c) by adding reference to Sec. 17a-465.

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