Kline Sanctioned for Improperly Handling Medical Records

Friday, the Kansas Supreme Court sanctioned Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline for improperly handling patient medical records and ordered him to return the full set of records to Attorney General Steve Six by December 12. Attorneys from a Kansas Planned Parenthood asked the court to intervene, claiming Kline had acted improperly and abused his powers in his investigation of the clinic.

In their 5-2 decision, the justices used harsh words to describe Kline’s handling of the medical records. “His attitude and behavior are inexcusable, particularly for someone who purports to be a professional prosecutor. It is plain that he is interested in the pursuit of justice only as he chooses to define it,” the opinion says.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius said that this conflict could have been avoided “if women’s private medical records were protected in the first place.”