The answer could be yes, if ... A hospice probably cannot be held liable for a third party's criminal actions where someone in the family or neighborhood steals a patient's drugs, says attorney Marie Berliner in Austin, Texas. However, a hospice could be held accountable for some level of contribution or neglect in some cases, in Berliner's view. Examples include leaving controlled substances in an unlocked area, failing to keep an inventory count -- or "failing to respond to family concerns about drug diversion," she says.