Indiana Lawyer Common Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against IU Wellness, the state’s biggest wellness network, more than its help of Dr. Caitlin Bernard following a violation of patient privacy. The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Friday. Final year, Bernard offered abortion care to a ten-year-old rape victim from Ohio and later discussed the case with the Indianapolis Star.

At the time, IU Wellness performed a overview of the case and concluded that Bernard had not violated the patient’s privacy. Even so, earlier this year, the Indiana Healthcare Licensing Board reprimanded Bernard for violating state and federal patient privacy laws. In response, IU Wellness issued a statement supporting Bernard and disagreeing with the board’s selection, standing by their personal privacy assessment.

Todd Rokita now argues that IU Health’s statement undermines the guidance of the licensing board and potentially confuses its workforce about what is permissible in terms of patient privacy. He also claims that IU Health’s original overview did not adequately examine irrespective of whether Bernard had certainly violated privacy laws. The lawsuit additional alleges that the wellness network has punished other staff for much less serious privacy violations.

IU Wellness has released a statement in response to the lawsuit, expressing disappointment in the Lawyer General’s workplace for allocating restricted sources to this matter. They state that they will respond straight to the AG’s workplace with regards to the filing. Rokita is in search of a court order to demand IU Wellness to update its safeguards against privacy violations and make certain that its medical doctors comply with privacy laws.

This story has been updated. Brandon, our Statehouse bureau chief, can be contacted at bsmith@ipbs.org or followed on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5. Copyright 2023 IPB News. To see extra, stop by .