DON THOMPSON
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO (AP) — The California Supreme Court revived a long-running debate Thursday when it reinstated a lawsuit over whether psychotherapists must tell authorities when patients report they are attracted to child pornography.
Lower courts had tossed out the lawsuit by three therapists who argued that California's mandatory reporting law violates patient confidentiality and dissuades patients from revealing that they downloaded or electronically viewed child pornography.
The high court split 4-3 in favor of reinstating the case and sending it back to Superior Court, where the burden will fall to the offices of the state attorney general and Los Angeles County district attorney to show whether the mandatory reporting protects children.
The dissenting
