Plaintiff Can’t Keep Medical Records Private in Malpractice Case

A nineteen-year-old patient who claims physicians mishandled her treatment for appendicitis can’t pursue her lawsuit without divulging her medical records in open court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court held Tuesday in a first-of-its-kind ruling.

“Although the plaintiff has an interest in the privacy of her medical information, the defendants also have an interest in their professional reputations,” the opinion said. The Appeals Court justices were compelled by “the common-law presumption of public access to judicial records.”

A lower court threw out Quinteasha Dossantos’ lawsuit against Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Inc. after denying her request to impound her medical records from public ...