Ohio law trumps federal medical privacy rules

Ohio's public records law trumps federal medical privacy rules, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday in ordering the Cincinnati Health Department to give a newspaper records on lead paint hazards.

Attorneys for both sides had called this one of the first tests in the nation of how the federal privacy law interacts with state public records laws that conflict with it.
"This could have nationwide impact," said John Greiner, attorney for The Cincinnati Enquirer.