As a party to the original Woodmansee case, the Office of the Attorney General sought an order from the Presiding Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court to inspect the contents of the sealed court file, including the Woodmansee journal. Upon review of the contents of the court file and determining the significance of the journal in the psychiatric evaluation of Mr. Woodmansee, the Office sought a second motion seeking the limited release of the journal for the sole purpose of the psychiatric evaluation.
Attorney General Peter Kilmartin stated, “The narrow decision by the Court to release the journal for the sole purpose of the psychiatric evaluation is measured and appropriate. The contents of the journal are relevant to a determination of Mr. Woodmansee’s mental capacity and whether his release and unsupervised presence in the community would create an imminent likelihood of serious harm. The physicians must have access to all relevant information, including the contents of the journal, to make a comprehensive determination of his mental state.”
Per order of the Court, the Office of the Attorney General may not and will not release the contents of the Woodmansee case file. Further, by order of the Court, the journal will only be made available to physicians evaluating Mr. Woodmansee.