Patrick Clancy is back in court — this time as a plaintiff. Patrick is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against the two healthcare providers who treated his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, in the months before she allegedly killed their three young children in January 2023. The case took a notable turn during an October 28, 2026, hearing, when Patrick’s attorney told a judge he expects Lindsay to take the stand once her own criminal case is resolved — a claim Lindsay’s defense quickly rejected.
The civil fight is unfolding just weeks after Lindsay’s murder trial ended in a mistrial, leaving major questions about what happens next in both proceedings.
Inside Patrick Clancy’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Patrick’s lawsuit focuses on the care Lindsay received before the deaths of Cora, 5, Dawson, 3 and Callan, 8 months. He returned to court on October 28, 2026, as the defendants in the civil case pushed to have the complaint thrown out.
The suit alleges Lindsay was prescribed several medications in the months before the killings that worsened her condition as she struggled with bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis. It further claims she was driven to kill after she “started hearing a compelling and unrecognizable singular male voice that told her ‘this is your last chance’ and that she had to ‘take them’ with [her],” per People.
Who Patrick Clancy Is Suing?
Patrick is suing Dr. Jennifer Tufts, a psychiatrist, and Rebecca Jollotta, a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Both Tufts and Jollotta worked with Lindsay in the lead-up to the children’s deaths, and both testified during her criminal trial.
Attorneys for Tufts and Jollotta argued in court on October 28 2026, that the case should be dismissed, saying their clients are immune from the complaint under Massachusetts law, according to Court TV. They also maintained that Lindsay never told her providers she had homicidal thoughts.
“Nowhere in that 86-paragraph complaint did the plaintiff ever allege that Mrs. Clancy ever communicated to these defendants that she had thoughts or an intention, much less an explicit threat to harm or to kill the children in any way,” lawyer Tim Sweetland said during the hearing.
Patrick’s attorney, Howard Cooper, told the court he wants the case to move forward.
Will Lindsay Clancy Testify in Patrick Clancy’s Civil Case?
The biggest question coming out of the October 28, 2026, hearing centers on Lindsay herself. Cooper told the judge he anticipates Lindsay will take the stand once the criminal matter is behind her — and that her testimony will directly contradict the defendants’ arguments.
“We believe that Lindsay Clancy, once her Fifth Amendment issues are resolved one way or the other, will testify that she told these defendants explicitly that she had homicidal ideation, that she was worried about something awful happening to her kids,” Cooper told the court, according to CBS News.
If Lindsay were to testify to that effect, it would undercut the defendants’ central argument that she never disclosed homicidal thoughts to the people providing her mental health care.
Lindsay’s criminal defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, publicly rejected Cooper’s framing, saying no one on Lindsay’s team has agreed she will testify in the civil case.
“It has come to my attention that counsel for Patrick Clancy represented to the court in his civil case that my client, Lindsay Clancy, will testify about statements she made to her healthcare providers,” Reddington told WBZ-TV. “Lindsay Clancy never told any of her healthcare providers that she harbored homicidal ideation toward her children. She never indicated that she intended to testify in Mr. Clancy’s lawsuit, and no one acting for her ever represented that she would. Mr. Clancy’s counsel does not speak for Lindsay Clancy.”
The dueling statements leave the question of her testimony unresolved — and tied directly to whatever happens next in her criminal case.
Lindsay Clancy’s Mistrial in Her Murder Case
The civil lawsuit is proceeding against the backdrop of Lindsay’s unresolved criminal case. Her murder trial ended in a mistrial on September 4, 2026, after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied an emergency appeal from her defense team.
Judge William Sullivan gave Reddington an hour to seek an emergency stay before formally declaring the mistrial, according to CNN. Addressing the jury before his ruling, Sullivan drew a parallel to wartime England.
“I’m kind of a history buff and during World War II, Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England when England pretty much stood against Nazi Germany alone,” Sullivan said. “So Churchill [often] had to talk to the citizens and let us brace for our duties. I always like that phrase, and I thought of that phrase when all of you were agreeing to be on this jury. You agreed to brace for that duty and each one of you knew how long the case was going to go, you knew how difficult the case was going to be to listen to, facts-wise. But still, you braced for that duty.”
He continued, “I watched every day, day after day, week after week, [and] all of you [were] performing that duty that you braced for. And I kind of wanted to let you know: I understand how hard everyone worked in this case. I understood you all gave everything you could and probably more than you thought you could … I just want to thank you so much. You should be proud of what you did. You braced for that duty. You performed that duty.”
The future of the case is not currently clear.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 833-852-6262 for free, confidential support, available 24/7 in the U.S.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
