SALEM — The estate of Kenneth Hass has filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against the State of Oregon, alleging years of substandard and unconstitutional care at Oregon State Hospital culminated in his death in March 2025. The complaint, filed by Hass’s sister, accuses hospital staff of failing to diagnose his psychiatric needs, overrelying on medication, and subjecting him to extended isolation and restraints.
Allegations of prolonged isolation and mistreatment
The suit says Hass was committed to the hospital in March 2022 after a court found he could not assist in his own criminal defense due to mental illness. He remained at the facility until his death three years later. According to the filing, staff never settled on a definitive psychiatric diagnosis or developed an individualized treatment plan.
Plaintiffs allege the hospital used seclusion and restraints frequently rather than therapeutic interventions. The complaint states Hass spent more than one-third of his time at the hospital in seclusion, including his final 250 consecutive days before he died. It also alleges unsanitary housing conditions, inadequate hygiene, and repeated periods in four-point restraints totaling hundreds of hours.
“Kenneth deserved respect and dignity like any other person, and the hospital failed to acknowledge this and caused him to suffer for so many years,”
The statement accompanying the filing was issued by Hass’s sister, Sierra Hass, who said she hopes the lawsuit spurs change for current residents.
Medical cause and unanswered questions
The lawsuit says staff did not properly diagnose or treat Hass’s compulsive water-drinking, despite documentation of the behavior over years. It contends that failure contributed to his death from water intoxication following a medical emergency in March 2025.
Attorneys for the family described the conduct as extreme and alleged hospital employees treated Hass’s decline as a “running joke,” language included in the legal filing.
Broader context and oversight
Hass’s death prompted federal investigations into Oregon State Hospital, and the new suit adds a civil claim to ongoing scrutiny of the facility’s practices. The complaint frames Hass’s case as symptomatic of larger systemic problems in how the hospital manages people committed from the criminal justice system and how it documents and treats medical and psychiatric needs.
- Commitment: March 2022
- Death: March 2025
- Alleged seclusion: More than one-third of hospitalization, including 250 consecutive days
- Cause cited by suit: Water intoxication following a medical emergency
| Key date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2022 | Hass committed to Oregon State Hospital |
| March 2025 | Hass died; alleged medical emergency and water intoxication |
| 2025–2026 | Federal investigations and now a federal wrongful-death lawsuit |
The suit was filed by attorneys from the D’Amore Law Group. It seeks relief on behalf of Hass’s estate and aims to hold the state accountable for the alleged neglect and constitutional violations. The case will proceed through the federal courts, where plaintiffs will need to substantiate their claims with records, witness accounts and expert testimony.
This lawsuit raises practical questions for families and guardians of people committed to state psychiatric care: how are individualized treatment plans documented, what oversight exists for prolonged seclusion and restraints, and how medical risks such as compulsive drinking are monitored and treated. State officials have not publicly released a detailed response to the filing as of the suit’s announcement.
As scrutiny continues, the case will be watched by advocates, lawmakers and oversight bodies concerned with patient rights and the conditions inside Oregon’s largest forensic psychiatric facility.
