§334-60.4  Notice; waiver of notice; hearing on petition; waiver of hearing on petition for involuntary hospitalization.  (a)  The court shall set a hearing on the petition and notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be served in accordance with, and to those persons specified in, a current order of commitment.  If there is no current order of commitment, notice of the hearing shall be served personally on the subject of the petition and served personally or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, deliverable to the addressee only, on the subject's spouse or reciprocal beneficiary, legal parents, adult children, surrogate, and legal guardian.  If the subject of the petition has no living spouse or reciprocal beneficiary, legal parent, adult child, surrogate, or legal guardian, or if none can be found, notice of the hearing shall be served on at least one of the subject's closest adult relatives, if any can be found.  Notice of the hearing to the subject's spouse or reciprocal beneficiary, legal parents, adult children, or closest adult relative may be waived if the subject of the petition is an adult and requests that these persons not be notified.  Notice of the hearing shall also be served on the public defender, attorney for the subject of the petition, or other court-appointed attorney.  If the subject of the petition is a minor, notice of the hearing shall also be served upon the person who has had the principal care and custody of the minor during the sixty days preceding the date of the petition, if that person can be found within the State.  Notice shall also be given to other persons as the court may designate.

     (b)  The notice shall include the following:

     (1)  The date, time, and place of the hearing; a clear statement of the purpose of the proceedings and of possible consequences to the subject of the petition; and a statement of the legal standard upon which commitment is authorized;

     (2)  A copy of the petition;

     (3)  A statement, in plain and simple language, that the subject may waive the hearing by voluntarily agreeing to hospitalization or, with the approval of the court, to some other form of treatment;

     (4)  A filled-out form indicating the waiver;

     (5)  A statement, in plain and simple language, that the subject or the subject's surrogate, guardian, or representative may apply at any time for a hearing on the issue of the subject's need for hospitalization, if the subject has previously waived such a hearing;

     (6)  A statement that the subject is entitled to the assistance of an attorney and that the public defender has been notified of these proceedings; and

     (7)  A statement that if the subject does not want to be represented by the public defender, the subject may contact the subject's own attorney.

     (c)  If the subject of the petition executes and files a waiver of the hearing, upon acceptance by the court following a court determination that the subject understands the subject's rights and is competent to waive them, the court shall order the subject to be committed to a facility that has agreed to admit the subject as an involuntary patient or, if the subject is at such a facility, that the subject be retained there.

     (d)  Notice of adjournments, continuances, other delays, dates of rescheduled hearings, and waivers of the hearing under subsection (c) shall also be served on the persons specified in subsection (a). [L 1984, c 188, pt of §3; gen ch 1985; am L 1997, c 383, §46; am L 2004, c 161, §36; am L 2018, c 144, §4; am L 2025, c 219, §8]