Randi A.J. v. Long Island Surgi-Center (Summary)

PRIVACY OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Randi A.J. v. Long Island Surgi-Center, 2007 N.Y. Slip Op. 06953 (N.Y. App. Div. Sept. 25, 2007)

The Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division, held that it was appropriate for the lower court to permit the jury to award punitive damages ($365,000) in a lawsuit for wrongful disclosure of medical information brought by an adult patient whose abortion was disclosed, inappropriately, to her mother. The court noted that the center’s failures in protecting the information were “numerous and manifest.” Additionally, there was sufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that the conduct of the center reached the level of recklessness necessary to support an award of punitive damages.