Variations in State Policies Related to the Duty to Warn or Protect
| Category | States |
|---|---|
| States with mandatory duty to warn or protect | |
| Codified in statute | Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington |
| Indicated in common law | Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin |
| States that permit breach of confidentiality in cases of threat* | Alaska, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming |
| States with no statute/common law guidance | Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, and North Dakota |
Created by the authors with data from Edwards5 and updated with the FindLaw database at www.findlaw.com.
↵* States that permit a breach of confidentiality are distinct from those that mandate confidentiality be broken. Permissive states reject Tarasoff and do not place a legal obligation on therapists to issue a warning.