State attorney argues to unseal Limbaugh's medical records

[DoYouEverWonder]

Palm Beach Post

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach state attorney's office argued Friday that Rush Limbaugh's medical records should be unsealed because they are "relevant and necessary" to the criminal investigation involving the conservative commentator, according to a response filed in court Friday.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Limbaugh obtained and used prescription painkillers illegally. No charges have been filed.

<snip>

The radio host said he cannot be treated for his medical conditions because the state has his charts and files and intimidated his doctors, according to his court petition filed Monday.

<snip>

Investigators seized Limbaugh's medical records from doctors in Palm Beach and Los Angeles counties after examining records from Palm Beach pharmacies near Limbaugh's $24 million oceanfront mansion. They say the records support their allegations that Limbaugh went "doctor-shopping" for prescription painkillers.

The warrants list prescriptions for more than 2,000 pills from March 24 through Sept. 26 from four doctors.

<snip>

Black has said the records show "that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication."




Someone should tell Black that Rush causes extreme pain, so can I have my meds now?

[madrchsod]

1. i guess the medical offices

in florida do not use copy machines or fax machines..poor rush ,i feel so sorry for him, all that pain he suffers. what is he doing about the pain now?

[LiberalVoice]

3. Im sure all he needs is another nice relaxing game of Golf...

to get him feeling better.

It apparently worked before, right?

[wryter2000]

2. Oh, yuck

I don't want to read his medical records. :crazy:

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. There's probably 1000's of pages

just on his anal cysts that you have to wade through before you get to the good stuff. Wonder how many times he's had VD?

[Seldona]

5. I cannot believe I am saying this but

I think this is wrong.

I have no love for Limbaugh, but this whole drug war thing is bs.

The guy has a problem, and as much as I cannot stand him, I hate what the government is capable of concerning drugs.

This is a personal health issue, and should not be a criminal one.

If he broke the law otherwise fine, but the insanity that is the drug war must stop.

To bad this won't enlighten him and allow him to use his position to do some good for a change. Though I know that will never happen.

Like Limbaugh or not, the drug war is a loser whose time has come.

[opihimoimoi]

6. In the mean time, until the law is changed, OFF with his RICHARD!!!

Get Lorena Baby, she know what the hell to do, LOL

[CO Liberal]

12. Come, We Go Get The Knife

:-)

[LiberalFighter]

15. Darn Darn Darn

Just like I tell people when I am not happy about something...

Good thing I don't own a gun.

In Rush's case :eyes:

Good thing I'm not a doctor or in a country where a medical license is not required. I'm sure I could do a good piece of work with what ails the guy. :evilgrin:


:crazy: :crazy:

[ParticipatoryDem]

20. Do you also support torture to get Saddam to talk and spill his guts?

I shy away from mutilation of another human no matter what their crime. It's disturbing to read about the support of torture on a progressive web site.

[DoYouEverWonder]

21. They're just kidding around

People often respond to opihimoimoi that way. It's sort of a running joke around here.

[0007]

7. It'll cost Rush a ton of money, but Roy Black should beat the rap

for the idiot.

[Virginian]

8. I am afraid that as long as Rush wants to fight the drug war

but exempt himself because he has had pain, this audience will continue to give him a hard time about it.

In other words, if he believes in the drug laws, but does not think they should apply to him, then he is fair game. People are not picking on the man who has a drug problem; they are picking on the hypocrite. If he wanted everyone to be exempt from the drug laws, then people would let him be.

[Cannikin]

9. I'd still like to find a compilation of his greatest speaches on ....

drugs and drug abuse. Anyone know of any such thing?

..by the way, where's Marta?

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. Here's a few from this link at Buzzflash

"I'm appalled at people who simply want to look at all this abhorrent behavior and say people are going to do drugs anyway let's legalize it. It's a dumb idea. It's a rotten idea and those who are for it are purely 100 percent selfish."
-- Rush Limbaugh show, Dec 9, 1993


"There's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good because we know what happens to people in societies and neighborhoods which become consumed by them. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.

"What this says to me is that too many whites are getting away with drug use. Too many whites are getting away with drug sales. Too many whites are getting away with trafficking in this stuff. The answer to this disparity is not to start letting people out of jail because we're not putting others in jail who are breaking the law. The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them up the river, too."
-- Rush Limbaugh show, Oct. 5, 1995

(Source: Conspiracy Planet)



http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/10/ana03004.html

[grok]

13. All were years BEFORE he got addicted

Any AFTER he got addicted? Now THAT would be a hoot!

Grok

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Here's a more recent one

These tough sentencing laws were instituted for a reason. The American people, including liberals, demanded them. Don't you remember the crack cocaine epidemic? Crack babies and out-of-control murder rates? Liberal judges giving the bad guys slaps on the wrist? Finally we got tough, and the crime rate has been falling ever since, so what's wrong?

--RushLimbaugh.com (8/18/03)



This link from FAIR has a bunch more but I'm not sure what year Rush became an addict?

http://www.fair.org/extra/0311/limbaugh-drugs.html

[Skittles]

17. excuse me

laundering money and writing false prescriptions goes way beyond the DRUG WAR. Rush is a F***ING CRIMINAL.

[Gman]

11. Very simple... make copies and give the doctors back the copies

then Rush gets "treated". Then he plays golf (oh, the pain...).

[cjm2222]

16. I don't think Rush's medical records

should be unsealed. In my opinion, the government has no right to peruse one's medical records, unless they are given voluntarily. It seems to be a violation of the right to privacy. If they unseal his medical records, who will be next?

Also, if the DA doesn't have enough evidence to file charges without brining in RL's medical records, then he doesn't have much of a case.

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. Then maybe Jeb

should stop playing doctor and leave Teresa Salvo alone?

In the meantime, there seems to be enough evidence that Rush was doctor shopping, which is a crime so those records would be the only way to prove if he indeed was. Since Rush is an admitted junkie I think the police would be derelict if they didn't pursue this case.

[LiberalFighter]

19. Probable cause was made based on the maid and his admission.

Disclosures to law enforcement officials

The Privacy Rule includes a standard for disclosures to law enforcement officials. The standard permits the following types of disclosures:

Pursuant to a legal process or otherwise required by law, including disclosures of certain types of wounds, and disclosures in response to court orders, subpoenas, and administrative requests. Administrative requests must be specific and limited, relevant to a legitimate ongoing investigation, and must demonstrate that de-identified information (that is, information without individual identifiers) cannot be used.

Limited information disclosures for the location of a fugitive, suspect, material witness or missing person.

Information about an individual who is or is believed to be a victim of crime if the individual agrees to the disclosure or, under specific rules, if the individual is unable to agree or object.

Information about decedents.

Information about crime on the premises of the covered entity if there is a good faith belief that the disclosed PHI is evidence of a crime.

Limited disclosure in emergencies in order to alert law enforcement about the commission of a crime.

[Cannikin]

22. Thanks for the great link. These were my favorites:

"When you strip it all away, Jerry Garcia destroyed his life on drugs. And yet he's being honored, like some godlike figure. Our priorities are out of whack, folks."
--Rush Limbaugh radio show (quoted in the L.A. Times, 8/20/95)

"All right. Joe Fernandez came to New York from Miami, ladies and gentlemen, to be schools chancellor.... Now he is embattled--he's got a book that just came out, an autobiography that's soon to come out, I think, in which he admits that he was a mainliner as a teen-ager. This guy --pfsst--shot up heroin. And people are praising him.
--Rush Limbaugh TV show (12/8/92)

Perhaps he has a different perspective now.

By the way...Where's Marta?

http://www.fair.org/extra/0311/limbaugh-drugs.html