Supreme Court Vacates Order On Recovered Memory Therapy Case

A decision by the Michigan Supreme Court means a case between a Watton couple and a Hancock therapist will return to the local court to pick up where it left off.

The case stemmed from a lawsuit involving Lale and Joan Roberts and Kathryn Salmi of Salmi Christian Counseling.

The Roberts say they were falsely accused of sexual abuse after Salmi allegedly used Recovered Memory Therapy while treating their daughter–which Salmi has denied.

The State Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether a therapist has a duty of care to third parties who might foreseeably be harmed by the use of techniques that cause a patient to have false memories of sexual abuse.

After the April 6th hearing, the court vacated its order to hear the case and denied the defendant’s appeal; saying they are no longer persuaded that the court should review the questions presented.

That means the ruling issued by the Court of Appeals stands–therapists do have duty of care to third parties in such circumstances.

Therefore, the case will return to Circuit Court where the lawsuit is expected to proceed.