This case concerns the right to privacy in a health care context. The Union of Belgian professional Medicine Associations sought the annulment of the Flemish Community’s decree concerning the establishment of a medical information database. It was argued that the right to private life as guaranteed in article 8 of the European Convention of Human …Read more

The applicant was a nurse from 1989 to 1994 at the same public hospital where she sought treatment after being diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1987. All hospital staff had access to the patient register, which contained information on patients’ diagnoses. In 1992, the applicant became suspicious that her colleagues became aware of her diagnosis through …Read more

Residents of the Matanza-Riachulo river basin brought a class action against the National State, the Province of Buenos Aires, and the city of Buenos Aires, as well as a number of businesses, for injuries resulting from pollution of the area. A lengthy information collecting process began in 2006. The Supreme Court of Argentina found that …Read more

R received long-term disability benefits from an insurer, Maritime Life (“ML”). Pursuant to the terms of that insurance policy, ML had the right to commission an independent medical examination (“IME”) of R. ML retained the services of W to complete an IME on R. Following completion of the IME, W sent a formal written report …Read more

Botros was a specialist in psychiatry and sleep medicine. Three patients complained to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (“the CPSO”) that Botros improperly diagnosed and treated them and that his communications were rude and unprofessional. It was also alleged that Botros withheld information and patient data from the successor physician. The Inquiries, …Read more

In a proceeding for divorce, a confidential medical document (a correspondence between the applicant’s doctor and a specialist) indicating the applicant’s alcoholism was relied upon. The judge further quoted paragraphs from the document in his judgment and the divorce was granted on the grounds of fault committed by the applicant. The applicant’s request for legal …Read more

The applicant, a mental health patient, brought action against the Secretary of State for Health alleging violations of Articles 8 (private life), 13 (ineffective remedy) and 46.1 (failure to change law) of the European Convention on human Rights when she was without power to change or even make objections to the identity of her ’nearest …Read more

A publishing company published a biography on a South African member of parliament that disclosed the names of three women who were HIV-positive. The three women alleged that their names had been published in the book without their prior consent having been obtained. They had participated in clinical trials, known as the FTC 302 trials, directed …Read more

In 1999 criminal charges were brought against the applicant for abuse of power and forgery of official documents. The applicant was a private notary and, according to the prosecutors’ allegations, had fraudulently certified title and real-estate transactions using invalid registration forms. As part of the investigation into these charges, the applicant’s office was searched, and …Read more