Sacramento County judge dismisses lawsuit against Sutter that alleged online privacy breach
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Christopher Krueger has dismissed a lawsuit against Sutter Health that had alleged the health-care giant was secretly sharing their medical information with Facebook, Google, Twitter and other third parties.
In the legal filing, plaintiffs Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II asserted that Sutter “commandeers the web-browsers of patients and other users and causes personally identifiable data to be sent to third-parties, as well as the exact contents of communications exchanged” between Sutter and its patients.
Beverly Hills’ Kiesel Law and New York’s Simmons Hanly Conroy represented the two unidentified plaintiffs, one of whom lives in the Sacramento region, had sought class-action status. Using information mined online, third-party companies can compile a detailed dossier on patients because cooperating websites share the identification numbers that they provide to each site user.
Sutter spokesperson Amy Thoma Tan said the company does not disclose patients’ personal medical information — or indeed any personally identifying information — about visitors to its website.
“The activity plaintiffs allege is typical operation of internet browser technology and the near-universal use of website analytics for optimization of the internet user experience,” Thoma Tan said in a written statement. “Their suit conflates the anonymous information used for these purposes with confidential medical information of Sutter patients, which is maintained in strict confidence pursuant to all relevant laws and regulations on patient privacy.”
The plaintiffs’ attorneys did not respond to a request for comment. They can file for a new trial and offer new evidence, but they must do so before the end of the week.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Sacramento County judge dismisses lawsuit against Sutter that alleged online privacy breach."
