An Oregon man suffered years of ‘extreme neglect and abuse’ before he died of water intoxication while being treated at a state psychiatric hospital, his sister claimed.
Kenneth Hass, 25, had been a patient at Oregon State Hospital (OSH) for more than three years when he died in March 2025.
A shocking new lawsuit filed by his sister, Sierra Hass, on Monday alleged that he was ‘tortured and deprived of his dignity’ during his stay, which ultimately led to his death.
Hass was sent to the facility in 2022 when a court ordered he was unfit to stand trial for charges of assaulting a police officer and criminal trespassing.
He was given an intake diagnosis of ‘unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder,’ according to the lawsuit.
Hass allegedly never received a more thorough diagnosis, and that led staff to cycle through different medications ‘to an often-dangerous degree.’
OSH is accused of putting Hass in conditions ‘functionally identical to solitary confinement in a prison,’ including spending the last 250 days of his life in seclusion, and approximately 500 hours tied to his bed.
Hass’s room was described as being ‘smeared with feces and pooled in urine and trash.’
Kenneth Hass, 25, had been a patient at Oregon State Hospital (OSH) for more than three years when he died of water intoxication in March 2025
His sister, Sierra Hass, alleged that he was ‘tortured and deprived of his dignity’ during his stay in a lawsuit filed on Monday
‘Practitioners decided early that Mr. Hass was untreatable. He was kept heavily medicated and in isolation where even family members were not allowed to visit,’ the lawsuit stated.
‘During the last hours of his life, he was repeatedly allowed to engage in dangerous, life-threatening behavior. No one stopped him or helped him, despite repeated requests by staff.’
Hass allegedly had a condition that caused him to compulsively drink huge amounts of water even if he was not thirsty.
On the day Hass died, the lawsuit stated that staff left his restroom unlocked and unsupervised, and he drank more than five-and-a-half gallons of water from the toilet.
The lawsuit accused staff of failing to act when Hass began to choke and convulse, and he was pronounced dead 47 minutes later.
‘As a result of the lengthy mistreatment, failed care and deliberately indifferent care which arise nearly to a criminal level, Mr. Hass died violently and needlessly,’ the lawsuit stated.
The federal lawsuit seeks at least $225,000 in damages, a legal order acknowledging long-term failures in care at the hospital and a review of hospital policies.
Hass’s sister, Sierra, described him as ‘the greatest protector and friend to myself, my children, everyone.’
OSH is accused of putting Hass in conditions ‘functionally identical to solitary confinement in a prison,’ including spending the last 250 days of his life in seclusion, and approximately 500 hours tied to his bed
Hass’s room was described as being ‘smeared with feces and pooled in urine and trash,’ and the lawsuit claims nobody intervened on the day he died
Hass was sent to the facility in 2022 when a court ordered he was unfit to stand trial for charges of assaulting a police officer and criminal trespassing
‘Kenneth deserved respect and dignity like any other person, and the hospital failed to acknowledge this and caused him to suffer for so many years. I believe this lawsuit will bring about whatever form of justice can be left in this situation,’ she said.
‘Kenneth would be honored to know that his death can serve to change how those still living at the hospital are treated. I find comfort in the fact that my brother is resting peacefully in Heaven and is no longer suffering in that horrible place.’
‘Nothing will ever fill the hole in our hearts that his passing has left. I will never let my children forget about their uncle, and I hope to teach them to be as brave and loving as he was,’ she added.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority and the state hospital told the Daily Mail it does not comment on active litigation.
