Latest Florida Highway Patrol Statement - 11/30/09
Looks like they are trying to defuse some of the TMZ reports, but leading off with a reminder that Tiger is refusing to speak only maintains the intrigue...
As of Nov. 30, 2009, the Florida Highway Patrol has been unable to speak to Mr. Woods about the crash he was involved in on the morning of Nov. 27, 2009, despite attempts to do so.
Mr. Woods’ representatives have provided us with his driver license information, vehicle registration and current proof of insurance, as required by Florida Law.
Contrary to various media reports, the Florida Highway Patrol has not made any comments regarding the details of the ongoing crash investigation involving Tiger Woods as it relates to medical information, or any other aspect of this investigation.
The crash investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.
At this time, the agency has not scheduled press conference, and the FHP is not conducting any on-camera, recorded or telephone interviews. All updates will be sent via e-mail.
Monday, November 30, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Reader Comments (17)
I'm not sure where it stands in Florida, but the issue of pursuing assault charges in domestic disputes without cooperation of the victim is a fairly well chronicled develoment in law enforcement. If the wife gets beat up three or four times and doesn't want to press charges, then gets murdered, everyone blames the cops for not pressing charges earlier. So cops, over time, respond with a policy that says, essentially: if someone was assaulted, we're going to investigate, with or without the victim's help.
I won't turn this into a legal memorandum, but generally speaking, the release and/or obtaining of medical information needs to be pursuant to a legal order or court process under HIPAA, and I suspect that an earlier statement by the FHP spokesman, saying, "We don't need a warrant to obtain records," was met by a stern message from Tiger's lawyers saying, "Yes, you do need a warrant under HIPAA, and we haven't given anybody an authorization for Tiger's health care providers to talk to anyone else."
Hence this second, more legalistic, FHP statement on the matter.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/tiger-quits-golf-will-bec_b_373510.html
It would surprise no one that many states' Public Health Codes require providers to notify police of suspected spousal abuse, as with suspected child abuse. The concern is of course prosepctive -- to take available evidence and stop any future attack on the same victim. You are also correct to mention the minor children as possible concerns.
But I see little evidence so far that would convince me that such a proseuction is likely in this case. Tiger is, objectively, an unlikely abuse victim in the future. He has the means to leave the home, he has other homes to go to, he would physically overwhelm his spouse, etc., etc. On the flip side of that, we should remember Phil Hartman, or perhaps Spider Sabich.
The kind of evidence that would change my general appraisal in this regard would be medical records in which the patient made a statement that he or she had been battered; records indicating that a health care provider concluded that injuries stemmed from a battery; a video showing a battery; or a witness (it would have to be a good witness) willing to testify to the fact(s) of a battery.
This IS the most interesting thing to happen in golf since......well, a real long time. Some middling nobody from the tour could go out and make 3 holes in 1 in one round and shoot 56 and they'll ask him what he thinks about Tiger's situation.
I bet you Jack is loving it, (hmmm, this could be what stops Tiger from breaking all my records.....)
It boils down to the old adage, "honesty is best policy". Now, it is a liars and spinners ball. Tiger is going to have to eat a lot of humble pie now to stop this and get it off the front pages. It will cost everyone way more than it was originally worth, including the taxpayers for all the investigation and legal follow up. Too bad for the charity tournament this week, and all those who live off Tiger's image. He can obviously still recover, but it will take time, and he might as well get started on it now, IMHO.
"My wife and I got into a late-night fight. I got so PO'd I stormed out of the house and crashed my car. I feel horrible about the whole stupid thing and so does Elin. That's all I have to say about this because this is our own personal business. This is OUR marriage. I know I'm a public figure and all that, but you reporters have no more right to know the details of my stupid late-night fights with my wife than I have to know about your stupid late-night fights with your wives or husbands.
That's my statement. Now ... I'll open this up to questions - BUT I WILL ONLY TAKE QUESTIONS FROM MARRIED REPORTERS THAT HAVE NEVER, EVER HAD A STUPID LATE-NIGHT FIGHT WITH THEIR HUSBAND OR WIFE.
Any questions?
That's what I figured...
I suspect Tiger would get quite a few hands raised if we slightly amended your "quote" to read
BUT I WILL ONLY TAKE QUESTIONS FROM MARRIED REPORTERS THAT HAVE NEVER, EVER HAD A STUPID LATE-NIGHT FIGHT WITH THEIR HUSBAND OR WIFE where one partner bloodied another.
Agruments are one thing but domestic violence is another as society is painfully aware of.
JC