Giant’s go time vs. ESPN
Privacy suit OK’d by judge
A Florida judge green-lit Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s invasion-ofprivacy lawsuit Thursday against ESPN and its reporter Adam Schefter for posting his private medical records online to millions of readers.
The ruling by Miami federal Judge Marcia G. Cooke sets the stage for the state’s second high-profile legal battle in a year between a sports star and a media organization over privacy issues. In March, pro wrestler Hulk Hogan scored a record-breaking $140 million victory over Gawker for publishing his sex video.
“Today’s ruling is a recognition of Jason’s right, as a professional athlete, to oppose the publication of his medical records without his consent,” said the football player’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster of Meister Seelig & Fein. He is also represented by lawyers Kevin Fritz and John C. Lukacs.
Pierre-Paul blew up his right hand in a Fourth of July fireworks mishap last year and was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
The NFL star says Schefter “improperly obtained” Pierre-Paul’s medical chart, showing the defensive end had his right index finger amputated and posted an image of the records on his Twitter page.
The New York-based reporter says he tweeted the image of the medical record to bolster a story about the surgery.
Pierre-Paul argues that while his injury may have been “a matter of legitimate public concern,” the “chart was not.”
Cooke agreed to allow the case to proceed Thursday after an hour of arguments.
Lawyers for ESPN and Schefter had asked the judge to toss the case, citing First Amendment protections. They declined to comment Thursday.