cordonone (imported) wrote: Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:11 am Not sure what all the "CAPS" and "!!!" are all about, nor am I exactly clear on the tone of your questions that seems to assume I'm a dolt, but the original poster never described where they lived, on what is an international board. I see from the poster's profile that the residence is in the US, which tends to be friendlier than other countries when it comes to litigation and rewards under litigation, but by no means a sure thing. Finally, it's not all that clear to me how aggressively the Bush "Justice" Department pursues these matters, especially in relation to people who are "different than them."
In general, in cases like this, the defendants tend to have very big pockets and the plaintiffs usually have to make many difficult decisions at the outset, not the least of which is how much of their privacy they want to give up. So, implying that the suit itself, let alone its success, is as straightforward a matter as you suggest is probably not consistent with what our plaintiff would find in this case.
I see that you have a lot more posts than I do and I clearly have to acknowledge and respect that fact and experience, but in the future if you want to correct what you think is a mistake I have made, how about doing it on the assumption that I'm a reasonable and thoughtful observer and not an idiot?
I guess you've been "snipped" A-1.
Actually the references are to HIPPA - the US Government's law regarding medical privacy and information disclosure, generally as involves medical personnel, clinics, the industry, etc. Generally, HIPPA is ignored by most private companies - for the most part it doesnt apply to them, and they know it. Z's private employer disclosed medical information as I understand from what he wrote. Very difficult to pursue under HIPPA. Easier under extant privacy laws. The big "however," though, is that for someone like him to pursue such a matter would be cost prohibitive, extremely unlikely that an attorney would take it on contingency fee, and would require probably in the tens of thousands of US dollars to pursue, payable in advance as we proceed. Most discussions and threats of lawsuits, unless particularly egregious, usually fall into the same type of category. Most such discussion is pointless, save for the fact that it might make someone feel better for a moment. In Z's case, Were I there I would simply walk out if I could afford to do so, and look for employment elsewhere. That might not be an option, and it may very well be that one needs must suffer a difficult situation until such time as an escape can be effected.