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[email protected]. THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF ALASKA WILLIAM S. BIGLEY, ) ) Supreme Court No. S-13116 Appellant, ) ) Superior Court No. v. ) 3AN-08-00493 PR ) ALASKA PSYCHIATRIC ) INSTITUTE, ) O P I N I O N ) Appellee. ) No. 6374 - May 22, 2009 ) Appeal from the Superior Court of the State of Alaska, Third Judicial District, Anchorage, Sharon L. Gleason, Judge. Appearances: James B. Gottstein, Law Project for Psychiatric Rights, Inc., Anchorage, for Appellant. Timothy M. Twomey, Assistant Attorney General, Anchorage, and Talis J. Colberg, Attorney General, Juneau, for Appellee. Before: Fabe, Chief Justice, Matthews, Eastaugh, Carpeneti, and Winfree, Justices. CARPENETI, Justice. I. INTRODUCTION A psychiatric patient committed to the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) challenges the superior court’s order approving API’s petition for involuntary administration of psychotropic drugs under AS 47.30.839. He alleges that the trial court violated due process guarantees and that it erred in its findings that API’s proposed treatment was in his best interests and that no less intrusive alternative was available. Because the patient was subsequently released without treatment, the case is technically moot, but we decide it because it falls within the public interest exception to the mootness doctrine. We conclude that, because the patient did not receive adequate notice of the nature of the proceedings and access to his medical chart, he was denied due process.