Executive Summary
- Patrick Clancy filed a wrongful death lawsuit against psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer A. Tufts, nurse practitioner Rebecca H. Jollotta, and their employers.
- The suit alleges the providers negligently overmedicated Lindsay Clancy, exacerbating her mental health decline before the children’s deaths.
- Court filings list numerous medications prescribed, including Zoloft, Prozac, Klonopin, and Seroquel, allegedly without proper monitoring.
- The plaintiff seeks over $1 million in damages and claims a HIPAA violation occurred at South Shore Health.
Patrick Clancy has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court against several mental health care providers, alleging that medical negligence and the overmedication of his wife, Lindsay Clancy, directly contributed to the deaths of their three children. The complaint, filed nearly three years after the tragedy in Duxbury, Massachusetts, asserts that providers failed to properly monitor Lindsay Clancy’s reaction to a rapid succession of powerful psychiatric drugs before she allegedly strangled the children and attempted suicide.
The civil complaint names psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer A. Tufts, nurse practitioner Rebecca H. Jollotta, and their respective affiliated facilities, Aster Mental Health and South Shore Health, as defendants. According to the court filings, Patrick Clancy contends that the defendants prescribed a “bevy of diverse and powerful medications” without adequate supervision, which allegedly exacerbated his wife’s anxiety and mental instability following the birth of their third child. The lawsuit claims that if the defendants had provided adequate care, “it is more likely than not that Patrick and Lindsay’s children would still be alive today.”
Court documents detail a timeline beginning in the fall of 2022, where Lindsay Clancy sought treatment for worsening stress and anxiety. The plaintiff alleges that Dr. Tufts and subsequently Nurse Practitioner Jollotta prescribed a series of medications including Zoloft, Prozac, Ambien, Remeron, Klonopin, Seroquel, Valium, and Lamictal. The suit argues that these medications were added and accelerated in an “ad hoc manner” despite Lindsay reporting symptoms such as insomnia, mental fog, and increased depression. The filing further alleges that when Lindsay sought help from Women & Infants Hospital in Rhode Island, providers there suggested her issues were likely due to overmedication.
In addition to claims of wrongful death and conscious pain and suffering, the lawsuit accuses South Shore Health of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), citing an inappropriate access of the family’s medical records by an employee. Patrick Clancy is seeking monetary damages in excess of $1 million. Neither Aster Mental Health nor South Shore Health immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the litigation.
Litigation and Criminal Proceedings
This civil litigation runs parallel to the ongoing criminal case against Lindsay Clancy, who faces charges of murder and strangulation. While the civil suit argues that medical malpractice induced a psychotic break, the criminal defense has indicated plans to pursue an insanity defense. This legal maneuver highlights the complexities of adjudicating cases involving severe postpartum mental health crises, where questions of culpability overlap with medical oversight standards. It is important to note that Lindsay Clancy has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her, and all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
