Could a person be brought up on criminal charges if they said something to somebody that caused that person’s death? For example, let’s say that I say something to somebody that digs just a little bit too deep into the nether regions of their psyche. It sets them off on a screaming bitch fit (this has actually happened to me), and as a result they have a heart attack or a CVA. Can I be held legally accountable? Another good example would be the scenario depicted in the movie Girl, Interrupted in which Lisa says to Daisy something along the lines of “you know what your problem is?” “Your problem is not so much the fact that you’re fucking your father, but the fact that you enjoy it”. (Or something to that effect). And Daisy gets a pouty look on her face, trots up the stairs, and promptly hangs herself in the shower. If this were to actually happen, could ‘Lisa’ be charged with homicide or manslaughter? Would it make any difference if the person were a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist and should have ‘known better’ than to carelessly rip away a person’s ego defenses? Would they be held more accountable than your average schmoo off the street who just happened to say the wrong thing at the wrong time?
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