Samaritan Health Services v. City of Glendale

This is an appeal from summary judgment entered in favor of appellees, City of Glendale (Glendale) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Samaritan Health Services (Samaritan) filed a declaratory judgment action alleging that in the past appellees had used search warrants for the purpose of seizing patients medical records from Samaritan, and that it was reasonably probable appellees would continue to do so in the future. Samaritan sought relief from the continued use of search warrants without a determination of whether the medical records to be seized were subject to the physician-patient privilege, alleging that such seizures violated the fourth amendment. Appellees asserted that there was no justiciable controversy for the purposes of the declaratory judgments act, and also denied that search warrants for hospital records violated the fourth amendment. In granting summary judgment for the appellees, the trial court held that Samaritan had standing, and that the use of search warrants for the seizure of medical records of Samaritans patients was not unconstitutional.