WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A judge in Palm Beach County has ruled that prosecutors can subpoena Rush Limbaugh's doctors as part an investigation into whether the conservative talk show commentator illegally bought painkillers.
The judge ruled that Florida laws do not prevent doctors from talking with prosecutors if the information is relevant to the prosecution of a crime. But he notes that laws prohibit the discussion of a patient's medical condition and information disclosed by a patient during treatment.
Both sides — prosecutors and an attorney for Limbaugh — say they won.
A spokesman for the state attorney in Palm Beach County says the court let prosecutors go ahead with investigative subpoenas.
And attorney Roy Black says in a statement the decision upholds Limbaugh's doctor-patient confidentiality.
Prosecutors seized Limbaugh's records after learning that he received about two thousand painkillers prescribed by four doctors in six months.
Limbaugh has not been charged and maintains he's innocent.
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