Cal. Dept. of State Hospitals v. F.G. CA1/4

Filed 3/16/26 Cal. Dept. of State Hospitals v. F.G. CA1/4 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FOUR

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE HOSPITALS, A174497 Plaintiff and Respondent, v. (Napa County Super. Ct. F.G., No. 25PR000167)

Defendant and Appellant.

F.G. appeals from the trial court’s order compelling his involuntary treatment with antipsychotic medication. He contends that insufficient evidence supports the trial court’s finding that he lacks the capacity to refuse treatment. We affirm. BACKGROUND Following a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, F.G. was admitted to the Department of State Hospitals-Napa (Department). He has a history of schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms, including auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions, paranoia, and disorganization of thoughts and behavior. According to F.G., he transitioned at some point from the status of a person not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI) under

Penal Code section 1026, to the status of an offender with a mental disorder under Penal Code section 2960 et seq.1 In September 2024, a court entered an order allowing the Department to administer antipsychotic medication to F.G. without his consent. In July 2025, the Department filed a petition to renew the order. The trial court appointed counsel to represent F.G., and a few weeks later it held a hearing, which F.G. did not attend. Dr. Domingo Laguitan, F.G.’s treating psychiatrist, testified for the Department. He recounted his medical degree, his four-year residency training program in psychiatry, his twenty years as a staff psychiatrist at the Department, his job duties (including diagnosing patients and devising treatment plans involving medications), the instances in which he had qualified as a psychiatry expert, and his treatment of thousands of patients over the course of his career. He testified that he was not currently board certified. When questioned by F.G.’s counsel, he testified that he could remember testifying in at least one other case involving an involuntary medical order. The trial court accepted Dr. Laguitan as a psychiatry expert. Dr. Laguitan testified as follows. F.G. was assigned to his caseload in January 2025, at which point he reviewed F.G.’s records. Dr. Laguitan