United States Seventh Circuit

District court order, quashing the subpoena commanding production of 45 redacted medical records of patients who received "partial birth" abortions, is upheld under FRCP rule 45(c). Any potential value of the records in impeaching the doctor's credibility is severely outweighed by the potential psychological costs to the patients and a potential cost in lost goodwill to the hospital itself.

Appellate Information

• Argued 03/23/2004
• Decided 04/06/2004
• Published 04/06/2004

Judges

• POSNER, Circuit Judge., Before POSNER, MANION, and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Joshua Waldman, Department of Justice Civil Division, Appellate Section, Washington, D.C., Shannen Wayne Coffin (argued), Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General, Washington, D.C., for Defendant-Appellant., George F. Galland, Jr. (argued), Miner, Barnhill & Galland, Chicago, IL, for Appellee.