PORTLAND, Ore. (CN) – Kaiser released a patient with a history of self harm, and she tried to commit suicide, the woman claims in an $8 million lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

            Andrea Michelle Selby sued Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest dba Kaiser Permanente, and Northwest Permanente through her parents, David and Deborah Selby.

            The Selbys brought their daughter to the Kaiser Sunnyside Brookside Psychiatric Hospital in 2014 for “severe and menacing delusions.” Deborah, who was in constant contact with the hospital, says she told the staff that Andrea had a history of self harm and was at great risk of doing it again, and urged them not to discharge her. 

            Nevertheless, Kaiser refused to put a hold on Andrea, claiming she was not suicidal, and discharged her. Though her dad persuaded her to go back and convinced the hospital to readmit her, the staff discharged her again 24 hours later without telling her parents, the complaint states.

            Shortly after being released, Andrea went to the hospital’s emergency room and stayed in the lobby all night, pleading to be readmitted. Instead, hospital security physically escorted her from the hospital later that morning, according to the complaint.

            “During her escort, Andrea told defendants’ security people that she was going to jump off the hospital’s three-story east parking structure. In the presence of security, Andrew Selby put the duffle bag which had all of her belongings in it into a trash can, explaining to Kaiser security that she did not need them anymore, and told security she was ‘hearing voices,” the complaint states. 

            It continues: “Security then learned that shortly thereafter, Andrea Selby had set her hair on fire; she then returned to defendants’ property, and fell to the ground in the presence of defendants’ security. She then walked into the Kaiser parking structure, walked up to the third floor rooftop, and leapt off, suffering catastrophic injuries.”

            Her parents say Kaiser should have given their daughter psychiatric medication and proper treatment, and should never have discharged her knowing her history of self-harm.

            Thanks to Kaiser’s severe negligence, they say, Andrea suffered traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, a ruptured bladder and blunt trauma throughout her body. She also has permanent cognitive impairment, cannot remember anything more than a few minutes old, and had to be institutionalized because she cannot care for herself.     

            The Selbys seek $8.2 million in non-economic damages as well as economic damages for negligence and personal injury. 

            They are represented by Gregory Kafoury with Kafoury & McDougal.