Amy Woolvett reports:
A class action lawsuit has just set a precedent in Canada against snooping into medical files.
“If you a breach (a person’s privacy) you are going to pay for it,” said Raymond Wagner, a lawyer who represented the 681 eligible class members involved in the biggest privacy breach in Canada.
Halifax Supreme Court ruled on June 22 that Roseway Hospital has 40 days to pay the victims $1-million in total. Each client will receive a check for $1,000 with the remainder paying the legal fees.
In 2012, the South West Nova District Health Authority sent letters to 707 people explaining that their privacy was breached when it was discovered an admissions clerk, Cheryl Decker, had inappropriately accessed hundreds of patient files.
Read more on Shelburne County Coast Guard.