The University of Utah recently settled a lawsuit with Lisa Speckman, who claims she lost three limbs from a flesh-eating bacteria she contracted while under the care of university-trained medical staff.

We don't know what the university lost.





The university is refusing to disclose what it paid to Speckman to settle her lawsuit. As a taxpayer-funded institution, the University of Utah has to follow the state's records law, the Government Records Access And Management Act, which The Tribune has repeatedly used to force government agencies to disclose the terms of court settlements.

But the university is claiming a federal law takes jurisdiction here — a law governing the privacy of medical records. In denying a records request from Tribune reporter Pamela Manson, a university attorney suggested the terms of the settlement constitute are akin to releasing Speckman's medical records.

University Of Utah Associate General Counsel Brian Watts wrote to Manson:

As I am sure you appreciate, settlement of a claim that is closely connected to an individual's medical condition or treatment touches upon core personal privacy interests.

What Watts did not say in his letter is how Manson could appeal his decision. GRAMA requires agencies to include appeal options in denials.

In a follow-up e-mail, Watts suggested an appeal was not in order since a federal law is at issue. Manson disagreed and again asked Watts how to appeal. Watts later gave her the name of the university administrator who hears such appeals.

— NC

The scientific-looking photo is Strep bacteria, the root of flesh-eating bacteria, interactacting with human cells. It's courtesy of University Of California San Diego School of Medicine, via a Los Angeles Times blog. Trust me, this photo is a more-pleasant looking than a lot of flesh-eating bacteria photos.

Labels: GRAMA