North Carolina's Onslow Memorial Hospital Prevails in Privacy Lawsuit

Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, N.C. has prevailed in a privacy lawsuit that alleged hospital employees improperly viewed a murdered patient's autopsy X-rays, according to an ENC Today report.

The family of Cynthia Louise Tillet-Knighten, beaten to death in 2009 by a boyfriend, sued OMH, alleging hospital employees shared Ms. Tillet-Knighten's X-ray autopsy records with other employees. According to the report, the X-rays showed blunt force trauma caused to Ms. Tillet-Knighten's skull.

OMH countered the autopsy record was only viewed "in a professional capacity." In Sept. 2010, N.C. Superior Court Judge Benjamin G. Alford ruled in favor of OMH, but the case was taken to an appeals court.

Citing N.C. General Statute 130 A, the appeals court upheld the Superior Court's decision, arguing the law allows any individual to examine autopsy reports as long as they are supervised and do not make copies.

Related Articles on Privacy:

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Survey: Insiders Responsible for Most Breaches of Protected Health Information
New California Law Specifies Data Breach Notification Requirements

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