State Court Reinstates Claims Against Lab For Allegedly Wrongful HIV Test Disclosure

A state trial court erred in instructing a jury in a case alleging a laboratory testing company wrongfully disclosed HIV test results in violation of state law, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled March 19 (Doe 1631 v. Quest Diagnostics Inc., Mo., SC92790, 3/19/13).

The supreme court found a jury should not have been instructed that the plaintiff, designated “John Doe 1631,” may have provided Quest Diagnostic Clinical Laboratories Inc. with “written authorization” to disclose his HIV test results. Although Quest asserted “written authorization” as a defense to the plaintiff’s wrongful disclosure claim, there was insufficient evidence to ...