A Florida judge approved an agreement Tuesday that requires a Palm Beach pharmacy to hand over Tiger Woods’ prescription medication records to prosecutors handling the golfer’s DUI case, resolving a dispute between Woods’ defense team and the state over the privacy of his medical information.
Judge Darren Steele approved the agreement after a four-minute hearing in Martin County circuit court, just north of Palm Beach County. Prosecutors had sought copies of all prescription records for Woods from the start of the year through the end of March. Woods’ defense attorney, Doug Duncan, had previously argued that Woods has a constitutional right to privacy regarding his prescriptions. During the hearing, Duncan acknowledged that the right is not absolute and that prosecutors could make a compelling case for needing the records.
The judge simultaneously approved a protective order requested by Duncan that limits release of the pharmacy records to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, state experts, and Woods’ defense team.
Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University who is not connected to the case, told The Associated Press that the agreement and the judge’s approval appeared normal for a DUI case — particularly one involving drugs rather than alcohol. Florida law defines impairment for alcohol with a clear 0.08% blood-alcohol standard, but has no equivalent measurable threshold for other substances, Jarvis said. That leaves prosecutors relying on field sobriety tests, officer testimony, and other evidence to prove impairment beyond a reasonable doubt.
Jarvis said there is no indication so far that Woods is receiving special treatment — either harsher or more lenient — because of his celebrity status. “We don’t know if the prosecutor offered a plea, and a typical defendant would have taken the plea, and Tiger Woods decided not to take the plea,” Jarvis said. “But other than that, I think that this is what would happen no matter who the defendant was.”
Woods, 50, has pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge. A sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and that he showed signs of impairment after his Land Rover clipped a truck’s trailer and rolled onto its side. The incident occurred on a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph speed limit. Woods was traveling at high speeds and caused $5,000 in damage to the truck, according to an incident report. He agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no alcohol in his system but refused a urine test, authorities said. Court records show Woods has since traveled outside the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient facility.