Home > Great American Court Cases > Youngberg v. Romeo

Legal Citation: 457 U.S. 307 (1982)

Petitioners
Duane Youngberg, Superintendent, Penhurst State School and Hospital, et al.

Respondents
Nicholas Romeo, an incompetent, by his mother, Paula Romeo

Petitioners' Claim
That the proper standard of liability is the Eighth Amendment, and that the Pennsylvania State Institution properly adhered to the standards of the law in treating the respondent's son, a severely mentally handicapped individual.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioners
David H. Allshouse

Chief Lawyer for Respondents
Edmond A. Tiryak

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr. (writing for the Court), William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
None