In the case of City of Revere v. Massachusetts General Hospital, the Supreme Court ruled that a municipality has an obligation to provide necessary medical care for individuals in police custody. The case arose when a suspect was shot while trying to escape from police and required extensive medical treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital. The city refused to pay for his treatment, arguing that it was not responsible for providing such care under the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. However, the court disagreed with this argument and held that once an individual is in custody, they are entitled to receive necessary medical attention regardless of their ability or inability to pay for it themselves. This ruling clarified municipalities' responsibilities towards those in their custody and affirmed detainees' rights under U.S constitutional law.

In the dissenting opinion for City of Revere v. Massachusetts General Hospital, Justice Brennan disagreed with the majority's decision that a city is not required to pay for medical services rendered to detainees who are in police custody but have yet to be formally charged or convicted. He argued that this ruling contradicts previous decisions which established government responsibility for providing necessary medical care to individuals it detains. According to Brennan, once an individual is taken into custody and deprived of their freedom by state authorities, they become dependent on those authorities for their basic needs including healthcare; thus making it incumbent upon the state (or city) to ensure these needs are met regardless of formal charges or conviction status. The justice also expressed concern over potential negative implications such as hospitals becoming hesitant about treating detainees due lack of guaranteed payment.