Thurman v. State

861 S.W.2d 96, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2444, 1993 WL 331073
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 31, 1993
Docket01-92-00110-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 861 S.W.2d 96 (Thurman v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thurman v. State, 861 S.W.2d 96, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2444, 1993 WL 331073 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinions

OPINION

COHEN, Justice.

This case raises hard questions regarding personal privacy and government power. The issue is whether a grand jury subpoena may be used to obtain relevant medical records of a person suspected of driving while intoxicated. We hold that, under these particular facts, the subpoena did not constitute an unreasonable search and seizure. We nevertheless have deep concerns that using grand jury subpoenas to obtain medical records is a process ripe for abuses that courts are ill-suited to prevent or cure. Because we believe legislation is necessary to prevent these potential abuses, we respectfully suggest that the legislature pass a statute like the one set out in the concurring opinion.

FACTS

Appellant was charged with driving while intoxicated. He moved to suppress the results of a blood-alcohol test administered by a hospital for medical reasons. After the motion was denied, he pleaded guilty and, as agreed, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, probated for two years, and a $100 fine.

The stipulated facts show that on November 1, 1991, at approximately 2:30 a.m., appellant ran a red light at 60 to 90 miles per hour, lost control, and had a collision. A paramedic smelled alcohol on his breath. Appellant was taken ,to a hospital where, for medical purposes only, hospital personnel drew blood and tested it for alcohol and drugs. Appellant was not then under arrest or in any kind of temporary custody. The test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.219 percent and a cannabinoid screen of 0.1. On November 4, the State used a grand jury subpoena to obtain the blood test results from the hospital and then charged appellant with this offense.

Appellant concedes that the State did not withdraw or test his blood, nor did it ask the hospital to do so. Rather, he complains that using the grand jury subpoena to obtain the hospital’s record of his blood test results was an unreasonable search and seizure under the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution, article 1, section 9 of the Texas Constitution, and article 1.06 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. He contends that because there was no search warrant and no exception excusing the warrant requirement, the search was unreasonable.

WAIVER

Initially, the State contends appellant waived the point because the record does not include the grand jury subpoena. The State [98]*98relies on Baldree v. State, 784 S.W.2d 676, 684-85 (Tex.Crim.App.1989), Haynes v. State, 468 S.W.2d 375, 377-78 (Tex.Crim.App.1971), and Dusek v. State, 467 S.W.2d 270, 271-72 (Tex.Crim.App.1971). Those cases are distinguishable because they did not involve grand jury subpoenas. Those defendants contended that affidavits supporting their arrest warrants did not show probable cause. To decide that issue, the affidavits were essential. That is not so here. There is no affidavit or probable cause requirement for a grand jury subpoena. Moreover, the State stipulated that the hospital record was obtained with the grand jury subpoena. Finally, appellant does not challenge the particular subpoena. Rather, he challenges the State’s ability to use any grand jury subpoena to obtain his medical records. We do not need to see this particular subpoena to decide that issue. Because the subpoena’s substance is not in dispute, we hold that appellant did not have to include it in the appellate record.

CAN APPELLANT COMPLAIN ABOUT A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE HE DID NOT POSSESS?

The record subpoenaed in this case was neither owned nor possessed by appellant. A number of cases have held that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in objects or information voluntarily turned over to third parties. See United States v. Miller, 425 U.S. 435, 442-44, 96 S.Ct. 1619, 1623-25, 48 L.Ed.2d 71 (1976); State v. Comeaux, 818 S.W.2d 46, 53 n. 8 (Tex.Crim.App.1991); Wood v. State, 573 S.W.2d 207, 212 (Tex.Crim.App.1978); Smith v. State, 708 S.W.2d 518, 522-23 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1986, pet. refd). Both Wood and Smith involved grand jury subpoenas for records of telephones that were not registered to the defendant. Here, appellant seeks privacy for his own records, not somebody else’s. In United States v. Miller, the defendant sought to quash a grand jury subpoena for his bank records. We believe that medical records are entitled to more privacy than bank records and phone records. Moreover, as the Comeaux court stated, the rule in Miller pertains to objects or information voluntarily turned over to third parties. 818 S.W.2d at 53 n. 8. A decision to use a bank may be voluntary. A decision to use a hospital for emergency care is not. We conclude that appellant did not surrender standing to assert his privacy rights when he entered the emergency room.

THE LAW BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 1986

Appellant relies on State v. Comeaux, 818 S.W.2d 46 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). Comeaux drove while intoxicated on July 20, 1986. Id. at 54 n. 1 (Campbell, J., concurring). The date is important because the law then in effect concerning the doctor-patient privilege was more favorable for Comeaux than it was when appellant drove drunk. The facts were also more favorable to Comeaux.

Comeaux was hurt in car accident and taken to a hospital. His doctor ordered that a blood sample be drawn and tested for medical purposes only, but the doctor did not order a blood-alcohol content analysis. 818 S.W.2d at 48. Suspecting Comeaux of DWI, the police asked the nurse to give them some of his blood to test for alcohol content, but she refused. The police then produced a document falsely stating that Comeaux was required to give a blood-sample, and they ordered the nurse to comply. Id. at 49. She did, the State tested the blood at its laboratory, and then charged Comeaux with DWI. Id. at 49-50. The trial judge, the court of appeals, and the Court of Criminal Appeals all held that the seizure and testing amounted to state action and was an unreasonable search and seizure.

The facts here are different. Appellant concedes there was no state action in either drawing or testing his blood. That was done by the hospital acting alone, solely for medical purposes, and with his consent. The only state action he complains of is the grand jury subpoena. A grand jury subpoena plainly constitutes state action, and may amount to an illegal seizure. See Boyle v. State, 820 S.W.2d 122, 129-30 (Tex.Crim.App.1989). Nevertheless, appellant cannot prevail.

Comeaux obtained relief because he established “that he had a legitimate expectation [99]*99of privacy in the invaded place or property, and that this expectation of privacy is one that society is prepared to accept as reasonable.” 818 S.W.2d at 51 (emphasis in original).

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Bluebook (online)
861 S.W.2d 96, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2444, 1993 WL 331073, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thurman-v-state-texapp-1993.