Woman who won suit over commitment dies

SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — Opal Petty, who won a landmark lawsuit against the state after she was held against her will in mental institutions for 51 years, has died. She was 86.

Petty died Thursday in a San Angelo hospital.

She was 16 when her family committed her to a state hospital in 1934. While state officials say she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, her attorneys and a witness in the lawsuit said she had briefly suffered from a psychotic depression but was never schizophrenic.

Dr. Jef Nelson, a psychiatrist, said Petty's psychotic symptoms quickly subsided, and she should have been released. But she remained institutionalized until she was placed in a foster home in 1985.

Jurors in 1989 found the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation negligent and awarded her $505,000. She ultimately received about $350,000 after the award was reduced in accordance with a state law limiting damages in lawsuits caused by the actions of state employees.