Written By Christopher Dolan and Emile Davis
This week’s question comes from an anonymous writer who asks: I was recently in a bad car accident. I was in the hospital and required surgery to put some screws and a plate in my shin. I am in therapy for some very private and personal issues arising from an abusive relationship. I don’t want to share that information with anyone, but, I have also been talking to my therapist about the difficulties in recovering from the accident and being so limited with my leg while I heal. It wasn’t my fault, but I am scared to bring a lawsuit.
Is there anything I can do to get compensated but not let the driver who hit me or the insurance companies know my personal business from my therapist even though I talked to her about the accident?
Dear Anonymous,
You have raised an interesting dilemma that affects many people who file a lawsuit and are in litigation. What you describe is at the heart of many privacy laws in California- the conflict between a litigant’s privacy and the need for information to get to the truth of a matter.
We need to start at the most basic level to understand how this conflict plays. First, every person has a privacy right to their medical records. The California constitution expressly provides that all people have an “inalienable” right to privacy. This clause has created a zone of privacy that protects against unwarranted compelled disclosure of certain private information, including medical records.
However, this privacy right is not absolute. As your question understands, certain medical privacy rights are waived by bringing a lawsuit. Clearly, in evaluating a leg injury like the one you have suffered, prior injuries to that leg would help inform a clear understanding of the damage this accident caused. Defendants sometimes litigate and argue that all privacy in medical records is waived by bringing a lawsuit. Courts have held the line well, limiting physical records to the body parts in question in the litigation or if the body parts are directly implicated.
Mental health records follow a similar analysis, but there is a more transparent and absolute way to protect therapy records from being disclosed. Part of the damages a Plaintiff in a civil lawsuit arising from an auto accident generally includes what is referred to as non-economic damages: pain and suffering, emotional distress, fear, and anxiety.
Since the non-economic damages are likely discussed in therapy records, as it is in your case where you have explained the difficulties of the recovery process with your therapist, they would be directly relevant to the litigation. However, the law has developed a mechanism to allow protections and allow the maintenance a litigant’s privacy.
The Plaintiff can make an election between what is known as a “garden variety” claim for emotional distress damages or what is called a “special claim”.
When making a “garden variety” claim, the Plaintiff indicates that “no claim is being made for mental and emotional distress over and above that usually associated with the physical injuries claimed.” If the emotional distress suffered is of the type expected from the physical injuries, a Plaintiff’s therapy records would not likely be at issue and could be kept from disclosure.
A special claim is the opposite. It is where the emotional injuries exceed what would be expected from the physical injuries. An example would be when someone had a severe emotional reaction and sought psychological treatment to deal with the emotional injures from the accident.
With the bit of information, we have from your question, it seems that a garden variety claim would accomplish your goals of moving forward with a lawsuit while, at the same time, likely keeping your therapy records private. Please understand that there is no half-measure; if some of the records from a therapist are disclosed to prove how difficult your recovery has been, that will often open up the rest of the therapy records.
If you choose to move forward with a lawsuit, make sure to find an attorney who is knowledgeable about these things and can advise you regarding these important issues.
