The legal battle over Tiger Woods’ prescription medication records is officially underway in Florida.
After the famed golfer was arrested in Florida March 27 on suspicion of driving while impaired, Florida state prosecutors filed a notice in court April 7 that said they planned to subpoena Woods’ medication records since Jan. 1.
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Now Woods’ attorney has fired back with a response that states Woods has a constitutional right to privacy with these records unless the state can convince the court why such records are relevant to the state’s criminal investigation of Woods.
“The defense objects to the issuance of a subpoena and requests the court to conduct a hearing to determine if the prescription records are ‘relevant to the criminal investigation,’” said Woods’ attorney, Douglas Duncan.
If the court grants the state’s request for a subpoena for these records, Woods’ attorney also wants a protective order governing the use and release of these records to shield them from public view.
Why is the state trying to get these records from Tiger Woods?
Woods, 50, was arrested in Jupiter Island March 27 after authorities say his Land Rover clipped the back of a trailer from behind in a residential neighborhood and then tipped over. Authorities suspected he was impaired by medications, not alcohol, after evaluating him on the scene.
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After Woods refused to take a urine test, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, “We will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.”
State prosecutors didn’t say why they wanted to subpoena Woods’ prescription records, but such records could help bolster their case regarding Woods’ alleged impairment. Meanwhile, Woods has pleaded not guilty and said he is “stepping away” to “seek treatment and focus on my health.”
Tiger Woods’ driving history with suspected impairment
It was the fourth time since 2009 that Woods has been involved in a dangerous incident with his vehicle, including in 2017, when he was charged with driving under the influence in Florida after police found him asleep behind the wheel with the engine running. Several medications were found in his blood then, including the sleep drug Ambien and painkiller Vicodin.
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In 2021, he broke his leg in Los Angeles County after his Genesis SUV veered off the road in a straight line at a high speed while his lane curved right. He wasn’t ticketed or charged then, raising questions about why Woods wasn’t investigated for impairment even though it looked like a classic case of falling asleep at the wheel.
In 2009, Woods was ticketed for careless driving after hitting a row of hedges and a fire hydrant outside his mansion in Florida. A witness described him as snoring at the scene afterward.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiger Woods fights subpoena for prescription drug records in DUI case
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