Doe v Medlantic Health Care Group
Rasmussen College

Author Note This paper is being submitted on May 07, 2014, for Ann Nevers M230 Medical Law and Ethics Course.

Doe v Medlantic Health Care Group When a patient comes into the doctors’ office or hospital, they trust the employees to handle their medical records professionally. When a patient’s personal medical information gets released to people who should not know about that information, it can lead to very serious consequences and even emotional problems for the patient.
Doe, who was diagnosed with HIV, became ill and checked into a hospital owned by the Medlantic Health Care Group. Doe was employed as a janitor for a company that provided cleaning services for the U.S. Department of State, and had not told his employer that he was HIV positive. One of Doe’s co-workers at the Department of State, Goldring, was a receptionist at the hospital where Doe received treatment. While doe was at the hospital for a follow-up he stopped to say hi to Goldring. Goldring asked Doe the spelling of his last name so she could send him a get-well card. Doe proceeded to give Goldring his last name thinking it was not unusual that one of his co-workers would want to send him a get well card. The card was never mailed, and Goldring told employees at the state department that Doe was HIV positive. When Doe returned to work his co-workers began to tease him about his diagnosis. One of his co-workers had told Doe that Goldring was spreading the rumors. Once he found out about it he asked her one on one but she denied it. About a month or so later, Doe finally found out that it was Goldring who spread the rumors. After finding out that Goldring had spread the rumors about his diagnosis, Doe filed a complaint on May 20, 1997, alleging tort claims of invasion of privacy based on Goldring’s disclosure and breach of confidential