Lawsuit Dropped, Now Put in Place Laura's Law

El Dorado County, Calif. inched a little closer to justice as two sheriff’s deputies dropped an outrageous lawsuit against 67-year-old Karen Mies whose son with a severe mental illness killed his father and then lost his own life in a gun battle with the deputies.

The deputies’ $19.2 million lawsuit was the ultimate insult to injury to the Mies family.  The family had struggled to get their son Eddie the help he needed to battle schizophrenia.  Unfortunately, the law wasn’t on the family’s side.  Laura’s Law hasn’t been put in place in El Dorado County.  That law would have made assisted outpatient treatment available to the Mies family.  It might have prevented the tragedy. 

The lawsuit drew the ire of many, including this blog on two occasions.  The deputies were wrong for filing the suit in the first place.  It only inflicted further pain and suffering on the Mies family.  However, dropping the suit isn’t enough.

The best way for El Dorado County to improve the situation, and help other families from experiencing the same type of tragedy facing the Mies family, is to put in place Laura’s Law.  Now is the time.