Indiana’s attorney general has decided to drop a lawsuit against the state’s largest hospital system. The lawsuit claimed that a doctor violated patient privacy laws by telling a newspaper about a 10-year-old Ohio girl who came to Indiana for an abortion.
Last week, a federal judge approved Attorney General Todd Rokita’s request to dismiss the case, which he had filed last year against Indiana University Health and IU Healthcare Associates, according to The Indianapolis Star.
The lawsuit accused the hospital of not protecting patient information under federal privacy laws (HIPAA) and a state law. It involved a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to Indiana for abortion medication.
Dr. Caitlin Bernard’s lawyers argued that she did not share any personally identifiable information about the girl. The newspaper’s story, published on July 1, 2022, did not include any such details. However, the story became a major point of debate after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
In June, a federal judge in Indianapolis dismissed the case. Rokita then filed an amended complaint in July but recently asked for the case to be dismissed, stating that the hospital has since taken steps to address the state’s concerns.
These steps include training employees not to discuss patients in public and instructing them to notify the public relations department if contacted by reporters.
We’re glad that the information we sought has finally been provided and that the hospital has taken steps to protect patients and healthcare workers,” Rokita said in a statement.
However, IU Health stated that it has always had these practices in place and was disappointed that state resources were spent on this matter after the first complaint was dismissed.
Indiana’s medical licensing board reprimanded Dr. Bernard in May 2023, saying she did not follow privacy laws when discussing the girl’s treatment. However, IU Health’s internal investigation found no violation of privacy laws.
Additionally, the Indiana Supreme Court reprimanded Rokita and fined him $250 for making statements about Dr. Bernard that violated professional conduct rules for attorneys.