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image Privacy: The Rush on Rush on Rush! image
Privacy
The Rush on Rush on Rush!
Prosecutors Can Access Limbaugh's Medical Records

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida judge on Tuesday threw out a bid by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh to have his medical records kept secret from prosecutors investigating him for doctor shopping to fuel an addiction to painkillers.

Judge Jeffrey Winikoff in West Palm Beach said in a ruling made available to Reuters that state prosecutors had clearly demonstrated the relevance of seizing Limbaugh's medical records as part of their criminal investigation.

But in order to protect the popular radio show host's constitutional right to privacy, the judge ordered prosecutors not to disclose any material from the records to anyone else, unless ordered to do so by a court.

This office has scrupulously protected Mr. Limbaugh's rights, Palm Beach county state attorney Barry Krischer said in reaction.

Limbaugh, 52, told his millions of listeners on Oct. 10 that he had suffered since 1995 or 1996 from an addiction to prescription painkillers and he then checked himself into rehab for five weeks.

Beloved by conservatives for his biting attacks on liberals, Limbaugh launched his show in 1985 when Republican Ronald Reagan was president and helped spawn a wave of right-wing commentators. His program reaches about 20 million listeners a week.

Prosecutors in Florida hope the unsealed medical records will shed light on allegations that Limbaugh shopped around for different doctors to write out multiple prescriptions.

Whether Mr. Limbaugh is subject to prosecution for any crimes is still under investigation, the Palm Beach county state attorney's office said in a statement.

Limbaugh's defense attorney said on Monday that a former maid had blackmailed his client for $4 million, threatening to make his addiction public, according to local media reports.

© Reuters 2003. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Reuters
Posted on Wednesday, 24 December 2003 @ 04:25:00 UTC by phoenix22 (1482 reads)
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Re: The Rush on Rush on Rush! (Score: 1)
by ronh  on Saturday, 03 January 2004 @ 13:12:13 UTC
(User Info | Send a Message)
Judge reseals Rush Limbaugh medical records

The commentator claims investigators
were poring through them before a
judge backed off an order unsealing them.
By Associated Press
Published December 25, 2003

WEST PALM BEACH - A judge resealed Rush Limbaugh's medical records Wednesday, giving the
conservative radio commentator's attorneys time to appeal his earlier decision letting prosecutors
examine the files for evidence that Limbaugh illegally purchased painkillers.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff ruled that the records will remain sealed for 15 days
while Limbaugh's attorneys pursue their appeal to keep them private.

Winikoff had ruled Tuesday that prosecutors could examine the records but not make them public.

The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office declined to comment Wednesday on whether
prosecutors had begun looking at the records.

But Limbaugh said on his afternoon radio show that State Attorney Barry Krischer ordered investigators
to begin reviewing the records right after the Tuesday morning decision to unseal them.

The records have been ordered sealed again but the state attorney has already had his investigators
poring through them, Limbaugh said. I'm not surprised. My case is being treated differently than
anyone else's.

Limbaugh's attorneys argue that the seizure of records from doctors in Florida and California
violated his privacy and the investigation is politically motivated.

Investigators obtained the records last month after discovering that Limbaugh received more than
2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors, at a pharmacy near his Palm Beach mansion.

They suspect Limbaugh was doctor shopping - looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs
illegally, or getting prescriptions for a single drug from more than one doctor.

Prosecutors began investigating Limbaugh last year, after his former maid told them she had
supplied him with prescription painkillers for years.

Limbaugh recently admitted his addiction, stemming from severe back pain, and took a five-
week leave from his afternoon radio show to go through a rehabilitation program.

Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, said the medical records will only prove Limbaugh suffered from a
medical condition and was prescribed painkillers legally.

While we are confident that an examination of the records will show there was no doctor shopping,
but rather a legitimate need for the doctor visits, we are also confident that the facts will show that
the state improperly seized these records, Black said in a statement Wednesday.


 
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