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Florida school shooting suspect’s medical records an issue

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. • Lawyers for Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz said Friday that his confidential medical records were improperly disclosed to a state investigative panel by someone in the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

The attorneys asked Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to hold another hearing on whether the sheriff's office should be held in contempt of court for providing the records to the state commission investigating the shooting. They say access was limited by Scherer's court order to only certain authorized investigators and prosecutors in the criminal case.

"Not only is it a violation of the court order, but it's a violation of federal law," said Cruz attorney Melisa McNeill, referring to federal protections of medical and mental health records.