George Floyd’s family is considering legal action after a letter from Hennepin County Medical Center revealed his medical records were breached several times.
Antonio Romanucci, an attorney representing the family, confirmed they received a letter admitting Floyd’s records had been viewed by unauthorized Hennepin Healthcare staff.
In an interview with KARE 11, the lawyer claimed, “there were multiple breaches by multiple people.”
It is unclear how many people viewed the documents or which ones were opened. A statement from Romanucci’s firm stated the letter claimed the guilty parties are “no longer with the organization.”
Floyd died on Memorial Day after former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck for more than eight minutes. Chauvin and three other officers were fired and charged for the death.
When asked how Floyd’s family felt about the data breach, Romanucci said it was an additional source of pain.
“They feel it’s a continued assassination of George Floyd, his character,” he said. “It’s a non-stop issue. And they were very upset, very disturbed, disappointed that even in death, that George Floyd’s character is being maligned by people that didn’t have any business looking at his private medical record.”
The breaches are a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which “sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your health information,” per the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
The hospital has refused to speak publicly, due to patient confidentiality, but stated breaches are “taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.”
“If it is determined that a violation has occurred, disciplinary action up to and including termination can be used,” the Hennepin County Medical Center said in a statement to CBS News.
A statement from Romanucci’s firm said the family is “exploring all of our remedies in order to make this right and make the family whole for this incredible intrusion of privacy.”
“The security of medical records and personal information is of critical importance in Minnesota and across the country,” the firm added.
