Jason Pierre-Paul Sues ESPN, Adam Schefter for Posting Medical Records

New York Giants Jason Pierre-Paul has sued ESPN and its National Football League reporter Adam Schefter for publishing his medical records during the summer.

According to the New York Post, Pierre-Paul is citing a violation of privacy in the suit, which was filed on Wednesday in a Florida court.

Pierre-Paul lost his right index finger and severely damaged the rest of his right hand in a July 4 fireworks accident, but returned to play the second half of the season for the Giants and impressed them with his attitude and performance.

Schefter published the medical chart several days after the accident while reporting the severity of the injuries.

Most of the information in the new lawsuit rehashes the open and shut culpability from the hospital’s standpoint with one added charge pointing toward Schefter, claiming that because the hospital provided the chart to him, the reporter somehow became an extension of its operations and therefore is subject to the same restrictions unless he received consent to release the information from Pierre-Paul.

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The suit alleges that Schefter violated Florida statute § 456.057, which basically says that a patient’s medical records can not be given to or discussed with anybody not involved in their care.

Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, which treated Pierre-Paul for his injuries, said earlier this month that two employees were fired after they “inappropriately accessed the patient’s health record”. Schefter’s decision to post those photos caused a stir at the time, and now Pierre-Paul is suing both Schefter and ESPN, alleging that his privacy was violated.

In a series of emails with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch in July, Schefter explained why he chose to share the charts online. “We went through a procedure [on his hand] and we’ll have to see how that goes”. He says he did so to provide incontrovertible proof of Pierre-Paul’s amputation, but given that he is the biggest and most trusted National Football League reporter, nearly nobody would’ve questioned him if he’d simply reported that Pierre-Paul’s index finger had been amputated. He had to wear a protective cast on his hand during the season.