Unlicensed psychiatrist testified in hundreds of court cases in Ohio

A psychiatrist who testified hundreds of times in Ohio courtrooms on whether people should be committed to mental institutions has not renewed his license since 1976, a newspaper reported Sunday. After discovering that John G. Randall was not licensed, the court reviewed all his cases where someone remains institutionalized or hospitalized. There were fewer than a dozen. where people are still being held.

Lawyers used John G. Randall’s expert opinion in Franklin County Probate Court and in courtrooms in other Ohio counties. He was called upon so often that, since 1998, Franklin County had paid him $205,900 The testimony of a licensed physician is needed to commit someone against their will.

I can imagine the legal damages vs the unlicensed shrink, and against the state.

The news story conveys a sense of "oops", with no sense of the damages that could be assessed, and no sense of outrage at the unlcensed doctor.