Limbaugh medical records ordered resealed

Palm Beach Post ^ | 12/25 | Susan Spencer Wendel

[randita]

Limbaugh medical records ordered resealed

By Susan Spencer-Wendel, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, December 25, 2003

WEST PALM BEACH -- A judge ordered Rush Limbaugh's medical records resealed Wednesday for at least 15 days while the famed talk-show host and his lawyers appeal an earlier ruling allowing prosecutors to look at them.

But the cat could already be out of the bag: Limbaugh later said on his radio show that prosecutors had ignored his request to keep the records sealed while he appealed and began "rifling" through them Tuesday.

"They couldn't wait; they had to open them. The elected state attorney himself ordered it. The state's attorney, Barry Krischer, personally ordered it from what we're told and his investigators began rifling through my medical records," Limbaugh told listeners on his show.

Krischer's office declined to comment Wednesday on the Limbaugh investigation or whether they've reviewed the seized medical records.

Limbaugh, 52, is under investigation for possible "doctor-shopping" -- seeking repeat prescriptions for narcotics from various doctors.

Prosecutors seized his medical records from offices in Jupiter, West Palm Beach and Los Angeles after prescription records from pharmacies near his Palm Beach mansion revealed large amounts of drugs. Limbaugh got 2,130 pain and anti-anxiety pills, including OxyContin, from one pharmacy over a five-month period, according to a search warrant.

Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff sparked the legal battle early Tuesday when he gave prosecutors the authority to look at the records.

Limbaugh's lawyers, including Roy Black, had mentioned in court their intention to file an appeal but did not officially make their request until mid-afternoon Tuesday.

Winikoff's order allowed prosecutors to look at the records, but not the public.

Limbaugh's addiction to pain pills became a public spectacle after an October story in The National Enquirer where his former housekeeper, Wilma Cline of Loxahatchee, said she and her husband supplied the celebrity with thousands of illegal pain pills over a four-year period -- including 4,350 in one six-week period.

Limbaugh then talked openly on his show about addiction and entered a 30-day treatment program.

Doctor-shopping is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Realistically, though, painkiller addicts caught for the first time in the criminal justice system are put on probation and ordered into drug rehabilitation treatment.

Limbaugh says the medical records will not show any "doctor shopping" but vowed to fight their release to prosecutors all the way up to a federal appeals court. Limbaugh claims it's an invasion of his privacy and an unfair "fishing expedition" against him because of his conservative politics.

susan_spencer_wendel@pbpost.com

Find this article at: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/auto/epaper/editions/thursday/local_news_f3ae55ba204e21510033.html

 

[Ronin]

How does this work?

The records have been "resealed" but during the time they had them open "legally" they undoubtably made photo-copies of anything they might have found interesting.

What practical effect does resealing have on anything?

[LetsRok]

Rush can sue the state into bankruptcy if a single word from his medical records becomes public.

[skinkinthegrass]

basically IMHO...A CYA.."Well, We re-sealed them after numbered copies were made, which were in turn given to Shrillary"...Which was the prime political reason for this extra-legal/blackmailling exercise...all with the help of the 'RAT Palm Beach D.A...for possible dissemination to Shillarys' ABCNNBCBS lackeys/minions...freedom of the liberal press, ya know.

[300winmag]

The records have been "resealed" but during the time they had them open "legally" they undoubtably made photo-copies of anything they might have found interesting.

The contents of Limbaugh's medical records are undoubtedly already in Hitlery's database. According to Rush, prior to "resealing" there was also a court fight to prevent the RAT persecutors from making the contents public.

I haven't read the transcript of the proceedings that Rush has posted at his site, yet. But he said the reason for the county to want the records was to see if he had engaged in "doctor shopping". That means some RAT judge issued a "probable cause" warrant for a fishing expedition based on either an illegal wiretap or bug, or on a black-bag job of the doctor's records.

I smell the long arm of the klintons at work here. "Doctor shopping" wasn't even a crime during part of the period that they're investigating Rush. My own guess is they put through the "doctor shopping" law after they found out what they turned up.

My best guess is the klintons hope to have Rush's medical records spread out over the papers, and the Sunday talk shows. After Rush quits broadcasting, they hope he takes a trip to Ft Marcy Park like pooooor Vince Foster did.

[fishbabe]

then lets hope we all find out about his records in the nat'l enquirer... i would love to see what a bankrupted state looks like...guess all the poor people would have to find jobs,the bums would move to santa monica,and no school for the kids...of course,taxpayers get hit in the pocket for this mess and florida gov't would find themselves,OUT OF WORK!!!!!!!!!

[BritExPatInFla]

By "resealing" them, the judge has put a hold on the prosecutors from using them as evidence in any arrest warrant, indictment, grand jury, etc. If and when the appeal by Limbaugh's atty is heard then they may be unsealed or kept sealed, depending on that judge's order. This is simply another judge issuing a TEMPORARY stay of the previous judge's order pending the appeal by Limbaugh's attorney. Honestly, if he wasn't doctor shopping and wasn't buying the drugs illegally, he shouldn't have paid the blacmail money to his maid and there should be nothing to hide from prosecutors in the records. The first judge's order was to allow the authorities to review the records for evidence of wrong doing, which in this case, there is probable cause for.

[BritExPatInFla]

By "resealing" them, the judge has put a hold on the prosecutors from using them as evidence in any arrest warrant, indictment, grand jury, etc. If and when the appeal by Limbaugh's atty is heard then they may be unsealed or kept sealed, depending on that judge's order. This is simply another judge issuing a TEMPORARY stay of the previous judge's order pending the appeal by Limbaugh's attorney. Honestly, if he wasn't doctor shopping and wasn't buying the drugs illegally, he shouldn't have paid the blacmail money to his maid and there should be nothing to hide from prosecutors in the records. The first judge's order was to allow the authorities to review the records for evidence of wrong doing, which in this case, there is probable cause for.

[chouli]

Let's double check this. The big guys are coming down on Rush for purchasing over 2,000 pills at ONE pharmacy in a 5 month period? Did I understand that correctly? What is the big deal? This can't be unusual. Pain is a big deal.
Under the circumstances described in that article, it would not be unusual to find that many pills including Oxycontin among Rush's prescriptions. The press is making it sound like a huge amount but over the months, I don't believe it is. If he was buying Oxycontin and/or Vicodin/etc on the street, that's his personal problem, but that many pills over 5 months IMO doesn't sound unreasonable if he has the symptoms to justify using the meds.

[Print]

(From the LA Times - 9/10/2001)

A powerful and potentially addictive painkiller used by millions of Americans is causing rapid hearing loss, even deafness, in some patients who are misusing the drug, according to hearing researchers in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

So far, at least 48 patients have been identified by doctors at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles and several other medical centers who have treated patients with sudden hearing loss. The hearing problems appear to be limited to people who abuse Vicodin and other chemically comparable prescription drugs by taking exceptionally high dosages for several months or more, doctors said.

Vicodin, one of the most commonly prescribed painkillers, is frequently used improperly.

"This has become such a popular drug of abuse," says Dr. John W. House, president of the House Institute in Los Angeles, one of the nation's leading centers of hearing-related research.

Actress Melanie Griffith and Cindy McCain, wife of U.S. Sen John McCain, have acknowledged their struggle to overcome their addiction to Vicodin, which they both were prescribed for severe back pain.

But it's not just notables who are getting hooked.

Christina Jaeger of Sherman Oaks was prescribed Vicodin in 1993 after a back injury. Gradually, she got addicted. She would wean herself off Vicodin for brief periods, only to relapse when doctors continued to prescribe the drug for her recurring pain.

Then, earlier this year, the 36-year-old model and fitness trainer suddenly began to lose her hearing. When her doctors couldn't explain what was happening, she went to the House Institute, where specialists concluded that Vicodin was to blame. Jaeger immediately entered a treatment program to kick her Vicodin habit. But it was too late. By the time she completed the program, she was deaf.

"If I had only known, I would have tried anything to stop," Jaeger said. "The lack of information is what I'm most furious about. That, and the proclivity of doctors to write prescriptions for Vicodin like it's candy."

Some experts believe that doctors' willingness to liberally prescribe potent narcotic painkillers may be contributing to the rise in abuse.

A government survey found that more than 1.6 million Americans began using painkillers like Vicodin in 1998 for nonmedical reasons, up from fewer than 500,000 in 1990. A new U.S. survey on drug use due out in a few weeks will likely find "an upswing" in improper use of prescription pain drugs, said Frank J. Vocci, director of treatment research and development at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Vicodin, a synthetic opiate that is a chemical cousin of heroin and morphine, has long been known to doctors as a potentially addictive medication. "As soon as Vicodin hit the market, there was a steady stream of addicts," said Dr. Drew Pinsky, medical director for the chemical dependency program at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena. "It's such a huge problem already that I don't know how much bigger it could be."

Researchers at the House Institute were among the first to connect Vicodin use with sudden hearing loss. They now have identified 29 people who heavily abused the painkiller and who subsequently suffered a sudden hearing loss; 16 of those were diagnosed in the last two years. UCLA scientists said they have seen an additional 14 patients with opiate-inducing hearing loss, mostly from overuse of Vicodin, and other ear experts around the country report seeing at least five more of these cases.

Dr. Richard Wiet, a professor of otology at Northwestern University, said he began noticing cases of hearing loss tied to Vicodin use after learning of the findings of House Institute researchers. "Then I started watching for it and found two patients. There's definitely something to this."

But researchers at a dozen other medical institutions said in interviews that they were unaware of similar cases. "It's an interesting observation, but there's really no way to prove as yet that Vicodin caused this problem," said Dr. Steven D. Rauch, an associate professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass.

Doctors at the House Institute reported the hearing loss incidents to the Food and Drug Administration in 1999, and then again last month. Last year, Knoll Pharmaceutical Co., the firm that makes Vicodin, added a warning about the potential for hearing loss to the drug's label. But the label change appears to have gone largely unnoticed, even among some top hearing specialists. Knoll is now owned by Abbott Laboratories.

Susan Cruzan, an FDA spokeswoman in Rockville, Md., said the agency worked with the manufacturer on the wording of the label. No further action is planned, Cruzan said, because the FDA considers the hearing loss problem to be "a very rare side effect that is associated with using the drug in an inappropriate manner."

The 48 cases identified so far may seem small considering that 36 million prescriptions for Vicodin-type products were written in 2000, according to IMS Health, a health information company in Westport, Conn. (Vicodin is a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone and is also sold under the brand names Lorcet, Lortab and Hydrocet.)

But the hearing loss problem may be "much more prevalent than we think," said Dr. Akira Ishiyama, an assistant professor of otolaryngology at UCLA Medical School who has treated nearly a dozen cases. Some doctors, he said, may not have drawn a connection between Vicodin use and sudden hearing loss in patients because they "haven't been looking for it."

When doctors see isolated cases of sudden hearing loss, they may believe it's just a chance occurrence. At the same time, patients may not realize--or admit-- their addiction to painkillers. Vicodin is typically prescribed for short-term use of two to three weeks at most, with patients taking one pill every six hours. But many of the patients who have suffered hearing loss were taking 20 pills or more a day for at least two months, doctors said.

"This seems to be a relatively new phenomenon," House said. "Because we see thousands of hearing impaired patients a year, we can spot trends faster than the average ear, nose and throat doctor." The House Institute pioneered the development of cochlear implants, which are tiny electronic devices that aid in processing sounds for people who are deaf. Consequently, the research center sees a high number of people with sudden hearing loss.

House Institute researchers believe they saw their first patient with Vicodin-induced hearing loss in 1993, although they didn't realize then what caused the patient's condition. Until then, there had been no reports linking hearing deficits to this painkiller, which has been on the market since 1982.

Generally, if an adult with normal hearing experiences a sudden and rapidly progressing hearing loss, the cause is either certain medications, like antibiotics or diuretics, or the onset of an autoimmune disease. Usually, when a patient stops taking the antibiotics or diuretics, his or her hearing returns. Similarly, people stricken with autoimmune-related hearing loss respond to treatment with steroids.

That first patient at the House Institute, however, didn't fit the usual pattern. He wasn't taking antibiotics or diuretics, nor was he suffering from an autoimmune disorder. He ran a successful construction company in the west San Fernando Valley, owned a home and had a wife and kids--but also a secret vice: Vicodin.

He initially began taking the painkiller after two knee surgeries. He developed a tolerance and the drug lost its effect. Soon he was taking 20 to 30 pills a day. "I didn't even realize I was addicted," he said. "After all, this was a prescription drug. It took the pain away, and I functioned normally."

His life changed, however, in November 1993, when he started experiencing ringing in his ears. Then sounds became muffled, first in one ear, then the other, like an electrical short circuit in an amplifier. Alarmed, he went to see his doctor, who referred him to the House Institute. Doctors prescribed steroids, but the drugs didn't help. Four weeks after his first symptoms, he was completely deaf.

The construction manager blames his addiction and deafness for the loss of his business and the demise of his marriage. "I lost everything," he said. "All because of a stinking little pill."

Soon, other patients with the same symptoms began showing up at the House Institute. All admitted abusing drugs containing the hydrocodone-acetaminophen mix. Researchers began tracking these cases and, in April 1999--after identifying 13 patients--shared their findings with hearing specialists at a professional meeting in Palm Springs. At the time, House scientists considered the handful of cases an anomaly. Soon, however, 16 more people showed up with the same problem.

Hearing researchers are still trying to find out how these painkillers cause deafness. They know the delicate hair cells inside the inner ear are permanently damaged in people with opiate-induced hearing loss. These hair cells are like tiny microphones, picking up sound vibrations and transforming them into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain. Once they're destroyed, people lose the ability to sense sounds.

Researchers also suspect that the inner ear contains opioid receptors, or nerve endings that are highly sensitive to stimulation by drugs like morphine, heroin or hydrocodone. They believe that there is a connection between these two phenomena. "But we're still unclear as to the exact mechanism of damage," said Dr. Robert W. Baloh, a professor of neurology and head and neck surgery at UCLA Medical School.

It's unclear whether the damage can be reversed once patients start experiencing symptoms. "Some patients have retained some hearing if they stop using the painkillers immediately," House said. "But for most, the damage is already done. Once the process starts, it seems irreversible."

[waterstraat]

"Doctor shopping" wasn't even a crime during part of the period that they're investigating

Doctor shopping is illegal, since when? I never heard of such a thing. How many states is it illegal? What is the difference between doctor shopping and getting a second opinion/alternative medication? I know lots of people who get medication, then go to another doctor(usu because they were unsatisfied with the first doctor or the first medication) who may or may not prescribe the same or different medication

[Huck]

If there is no big deal, why was Rush PAYING the extortionists until THEY double-crossed him?

[uncbob]

The whole thing goes back to this insane WOD
It has done more to erode our privacy and rights than any thing else

Maybe this will open Rush's eyes to the fact

[norwaypinesavage]

"which in this case, there is probable cause for."

1.) What evidence do you have for this statement?
2.) Don't you know that a preposition is something that you should not end a sentence with?

[deport]

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1034314/posts

A little about the Florida Doctor Shopping law is discussed on the above linked thread.....

[pageonetoo]

...If there is no big deal, why was Rush PAYING the extortionists until THEY double-crossed him?

Hey, quit making sense. don't you know he was only taking those drugs, because he was in pain? Of course, he did make some mention of taking them 'because he liked the way they made him feel...", didn't he?

That's different, though, because he's MajaRushie!

I've been listening to Rush since 1988, even when he was taking DRUGS!. (we didn't know. he didn't know?...) I don't listen much, any more, though, because he gets mighty boring! I can get most of the facts elsewhere, and can form my own opinions.

[300winmag]

Doctor shopping is illegal, since when? I never heard of such a thing. How many states is it illegal?

It's a new law in Florida only, where conviction is a felony for the shopper, but a misdemeanor for the shoppee (the doctor). Why do I get the feeling that Rush will be the first, and only, person charged under this new law?

Remember, Dubya had a sealed DUI conviction (a common practice 30 years ago) magically unsealed after the state law was changed to allow that. Why do I get the feeling a klinton operative was poking around in sealed court records, looking for dirt that could then be "unsealed"? This Rush case has the same look-and-feel of other klinton dirty business.

[ijcr]

Depends upon the appeal ruling,if the appeals court upholds
the judges decision then the State Attorney carries on with the investigation.
However,if the court over rules the judge and orders the records sealed then any copies or information from the records becomes "fruit of the poisoned tree" and the rules of evidence apply.

[Diverdogz]

My own guess is they put through the "doctor shopping" law after they found out what they turned up.

Please, please share with us some brilliant insight as to why Florida's Republican controlled legislature wrote and passed the law, then convinced Jeb Bush to sign a law specifically to screw over Rush Limbaugh.

[Wolfie]

Illegal prescritpion drugs are the newest growth sector in the Drug War. Prosecutors and law enforcement agencies have been going gung-ho on this for some time, likening doctors to crack dealers. Congress is convening special hearings. It ain't nothing new. Rush just might end up being the Len Bias of this new crusade.

[300winmag]

Please, please share with us some brilliant insight as to why Florida's Republican controlled legislature wrote and passed the law, then convinced Jeb Bush to sign a law specifically to screw over Rush Limbaugh.

Because it "sounds reasonable", and they had no idea that the RATS had the first defendant already picked out. The action of the RATS since then show that this is intended to be a show trial, the way things were done under Stalin.

[alrea]

A judge ordered Rush Limbaugh's medical records resealed Wednesday for at least 15 days while the famed talk-show host and his lawyers appeal an earlier ruling allowing prosecutors to look at them.

In related news, rumors are floating that a legal dream team is running up a tab well into 7 figures.

[Diverdogz]

Its a nice conspiracy theory for those inclined to paranoia.

I'm more inclinded to believe that the dems just smiled when they realized that they could use a recently passed law to pound away on Rush. I don't believe the dems are so clever as to slip 'doctor shopping' provisions into a law, with Rush in mind, when the Republicans control the executive and legislative branches of Florida government. This law is bound to affect the drug-addicted democratic populace more than the generally more law-abiding, conservative republicans.

[CIB-173RDABN]

I like Rush. I have not commented about his problem until now. Rush is a very smart man. He should have been smarted enough to know that if he did anything illegal, he would be caught. We were told he was in pain, and he had an addiction. But we also now know he recently went through a treatment program. Did it work? We assume so, but we do not know for sure. But we will assume it did. So why didn't do this before he was caught?

The one big difference between "conservatives" and "liberals" is we expect our side to be honest, and if not honest at least when caught "be a man" and face the consequences.

This is harsh, but there is no one to blame for the situation Rush finds himself in, other then Rush.

The man is smart.

The man knew what he was doing was wrong (legally)

There were treatment facilities available to assist him over the problem

He had enough money to get the needed treatment.

I am afraid this will in time bring Rush down.

---

After a lot of thought, the choice was to betray what I believe in and support Rush regardless of what he had done (as the loyal Clinton followers have done), or allow Rush to face consequences of his own making.

Is Hillary behind this, I don’t know, and beside that sounds too much like “vast right wing conspiracy.”

It is much easier being a liberal. It is much easier to go with the flow, do what feels good, do not be judgmental. It is harder to have morals, to know right from wrong, and to strive to do “right”. Rush held himself up as a moral man, and failed to live up to his own standards.

Do I want to see Rush punished? No.

Will I man the barricades to defend him, sadly, also no.

Rush is already mortally wounded. He is still fighting the good fight, but I don’t think he will ever be as effective as he was in the past. The king is dead, long live the king.

I am sorry Rush, but you really let us down.

[Liberty Valance]

You've come to this decision BEFORE he's even been charged with anything? Wow.

[ijcr]

Unlike the US constitution the State of Florida constitution has in Article 1 SECTION 23.

Right of privacy.--Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person's private life except as otherwise provided herein. This section shall not be construed to limit the public's right of access to public records and meetings as provided by law.

Five years after Florida voters enacted the Privacy Amendment, the Supreme Court of Florida held:The right of privacy is a fundamental right which we believe demands the compelling state interest standard. This test shifts the burden of proof to the state to justify an intrusion upon privacy.

The burden can be met by demonstrating that the challenged regulation serves a compelling state interest and accomplishes its goal through the use of the least intrusive means. ...The drafters of the amendment rejected the use of the words “unreasonable” or “unwarranted” before the phrase “governmental intrusion” in order to make the privacy right as strong as possible.

Since the people of this state exercised their prerogative and enacted an amendment to the Florida Constitution which expressly and succinctly provides for a strong right of privacy not found in the United States Constitution, it can only be concluded that the right is much broader in scope than that of the Federal Constitution.Winfield v. Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, 477 So. 2d 544, 547-48 (Fla. 1985).

Under this article the State Attorney has to prove to the court that it has a "compelling" interest in the release of Mr. Limbough's records.

The Florida Legislature has declared that “every competent adult has the fundamental right of self- determination regarding decisions pertaining to his own health, including the right to choose or refuse medical treatment.” Fla. Stat. § 765.102 (Westlaw 1996).

[300winmag]

In related news, rumors are floating that a legal dream team is running up a tab well into 7 figures.

And how much are Florida taxpayers spending to put Rush in jail? How many taxpayer-funded public servants are working this case? Don't forget, the government can financially ruin almost anyone just by making them spend money to counter their endless stream of legal challenges their own tax dollars help pay for. Even a case they know they will lose can ruin a person, if that's their real intent.

First-time drug convictions, when there is no other crime involved, are usually handled with probation and treatment. Oxycontin is a worthwhile drug for some kinds of intractable pain. But it's also abuseable because some of the genuine painful conditions can't be seen on any kind of current medical tests. Oxy addicts have a long list of non-testable complaints they can lay on a doctor in the hope of scoring a script. Rush had known, genuine conditions that indicated that oxycontin would be appropriate. The problem was that he went on into addiction, a problem with a number of legitimate drugs if not carefully monitored.

[deport]

Because it "sounds reasonable", and they had no idea that the RATS had the first defendant already picked out.

You reckon rushie was really the first defendant picked out when the law was passed by the Legislature? I bet you'll find other cases if you'd do a little honest searching... Maybe abuse by people is why the law was passed... not sure.

Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist

Why is it so important to stop doctor shopping? It would save lives.

A 2002 medical examiners report indicated that of the 9,116 drug deaths last year, 3,324 involved the use of pharmaceuticals — that's more than one out of every three drug-related deaths in Florida. Subtracting alcohol, prescription drugs accounted for 60 percent of drug-related overdose deaths in 2002. Everything possible must be done to prevent these deaths.

[ConservativeMan55]

[E.G.C.]

Bump in support of Rush.

[international american]

I BUMP the BUMP!...this case smells bad!

[joyce11111]

And I THIRD THE BUMP

[schmelvin]

"Doctor shopping" wasn't even a crime during part of the period that they're investigating Rush. My own guess is they put through the "doctor shopping" law after they found out what they turned up.

No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. (From Article 1 Section 9 of the US Constitution)

No state shall... pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law... (From Article 1 Section 10 of the US Constitution)

Ex post facto: Latin for "from a thing done afterward." Ex post facto is most typically used to refer to a law that applies retroactively, thereby criminalizing conduct that was legal when originally performed. Two clauses in the US Constitution prohibit ex post facto laws: Art 1, § 9 and Art. 1 § 10. see, e.g. Collins v. Youngblood 497 US 37 (1990) and California Dep't of Corrections v. Morales 514 US 499 (1995). (http://www.law.cornell.edu/lexicon/ex_post_facto.htm)

Is there any Rule of Law at all anymore? It seems increasingly the case these days that if someone in the government wants to destroy you, then you're history, and all Constitutional protections be d@mned.

I'm not a "Rushbot" (is there such a thing?). But, I do think he's being attacked primarily because he's an influential conservative, not because his rivals really care how many pills the man's popped. There are a staggering number of celebrities that have admitted they've abused drugs, entered rehab, etc., and I don't see prosecutors rifling through their medical records.

[international american]

"I'm not a "Rushbot" (is there such a thing?). But, I do think he's being attacked primarily because he's an influential conservative, not because his rivals really care how many pills the man's popped. There are a staggering number of celebrities that have admitted they've abused drugs, entered rehab, etc., and I don't see prosecutors rifling through their medical records."

I pointed this out a couple of days ago and got hammered by a motley assortment of characters:)

[international american]

"Move along ? There is PLENTY here!
Merry Christmas
Best, IA

[jetson]

Let's see Hillary's medical records. She has broken the law several times and is pushing for open medical records. Open up YOUR medical records miss piggy!

[blackie]

Rush Will Persevere!

[octobersky]

And while we're at it, let's have a look at Bill's.

[octobersky]

Then when we finish looking at that, let's look at the records that would tell us all about the way Howard Dean governed Vermont!!!

[little jeremiah]

You said that Rush shouldn't have paid the blackmail money to the maid. He or his lawyer made a statement that he didn't pay any blackmail money. Did you read somewhere that blackmail money was indeed paid out?

[little jeremiah]

If there is no big deal, why was Rush PAYING the extortionists until THEY double-crossed him?

Not to nitpick, but have you read that Rush was paying them blackmail money? I read that he didn't pay, and that's why Cline went to the Enquirer.

[chouli]

What extortionists? The maid? Wasn't that supposedly for the drugs he supposedly got off the street and not the pharmacy? The ones purchased at one pharmacy are legally purchased drugs. Any purchased on the streets are illegally purchased drugs if he did such a things and that remains to be proven.

[CWOJackson]

One doctor on TV said that if Limbaugh took a quarter of the drugs he's been alleged to have bought he would be dead.

[RS]

"Not to nitpick, but have you read that Rush was paying them blackmail money? I read that he didn't pay, and that's why Cline went to the Enquirer."

The cops were onto the Clines at least by Dec 2002 which is presumeably about when Rush was cut off from their supply, the records from Rushs doctor-shopping start after that going to Sept 2003, the Enquirer article was in Oct 2003.

Is paying someone to keep them from going to the cops about your illegal activities a crime in itself ?

[uncbob]

Rush's biggest mistake was not going the Ted Kennedy route and take liquid drugs for his pain and high

[ladyinred]

If Levine is right, there was no doctor shopping. I am not sure how to spell his name, he was on Hannity's radio show explaining the doctor thingie! :-)

[ladyinred]

It is Mark Levin actually! (sigh, getting old is such fun)

[RS]

""Doctor shopping" wasn't even a crime during part of the period that they're investigating Rush. My own guess is they put through the "doctor shopping" law after they found out what they turned up."

Doctor-shopping law was passed in July 2002 -

Clines admitted selling Rush drugs in Dec 2002 -

Doctor-shopping by Rush appears to have taken place AFTER the Clines were cutoff as a source. - Pharmacy records from 3/24/03-9/26/03 were used in Application for Search Warrents.

[deport]

The ones purchased at one pharmacy are legally purchased drugs.

---

Has that been determined yet? If so do you have a link?

They were legal drugs [prescription] puchased through a legal outlet [pharmacy]...... but that doesn't mean the purchases were legal by Florida law does it?

[RS]

"The big guys are coming down on Rush for purchasing over 2,000 pills at ONE pharmacy in a 5 month period? Did I understand that correctly? What is the big deal? This can't be unusual."


The Application for the Search Warrents states that
"Records were located at these pharmacies ( note the plural ) relating to LIMBAUGH and envincing a pattern consistant with obtaining controlled substances in violation of Florida Statute 893."

The attached exhibit were specificaly called out as being from only ONE pharmacy as an example -

One can surmise the records from the other pharmacies would show similar patterns. The application also states that these are NOT the only facts known in the case, only those sufficient to obtain the warrents.