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# TheAttorney General ofTexas

**Demmber**21. 1984

-r&lo Ifike Driacoll lIarria County Attormy 1001 **?reetm,** Suits **634 sourt00,**  **Texas 77~302**  **Deer**

### lb. Driacoll: Opinion **No. ~~-260**  Rer Availability of inforutioa froo mental health recordr

Youhave requcated our opinioo regarding the availability to the public **of** inartrumaatr filed in lmentally ill docket in the office of thm county clerk. The Opy Recorda Act. article 6252-17a, eection 3(a)(l). V.TX.8.

.’provider that:

(a) All informetion collected, assembled. or rintained by governmental bodice purauant to lav 

### .orordinance or in connection'vith the traneactiom **of** offic:M buoineea ia public informetion ind available to the public during normnl buoineaa hoorm**of** my governmental body, uith **the** follarfnl acnptionr only: (1) information deemed confidential by lav, either Corutitutional, etatutory, or by judictil decision. : . . **Art&lee** 5547-11 end5547-12, V.T.C.S., provide:

All qplicationa, petition., certifiutea. and 

### l ll~her'papera permitted or required to be filed in the county **court** by thir code &all be filed uith ’thi county clerk of the proper county who l ball fil,e the ~mame and l adorae .ooeach paper the **dete** filtid and the~docket **number**and hir offichl rQputur4. Each emd>every atatemeot **of** factm. together with r~et: and every other writing which dieeloaee intiuto d.etaila **of the**  personal and privite, life of the l

lxueed or the patient or vhich diecloaea intiute detaila of the pereooal life of any and

p. 1158Honorable MikeDrlscoll - Page 2 (JM-260)

all memberaof the family of the accused or the patient, in amentally ill docket in the office of the county clerk are hereby declared to be public records of a private nature which may be used, inepected. or copied- only by a written order of the county judge, r-probate judge, a court of domestic relations j;dge, or a district judge of the county in which &e docket la located, and no such order ehall isac;;! until the issulng judge has determined fnformall,y to his satiafactioo that aaid use. inepection, or copying is juetified and in the public intererlt:. (Emphaaia added). Section 3(a)(l) excepts :Iromdisclosure under the Open Record8 Act all informetioo made confi,dential by law. Article 5547-12 makes confidential certain records filed in connection with any proceedings under the Mental Health Code. The cltatemeot of facts io every such proceeding is clearly excepted from dieclosure. Other material ia excepted only if it “disclosejs intimate details **of** the personal and private life of the accused” or of a member of his family. 10 our opioion. the county clerk. in consultation with the county attorney, muat make the initial detJ!l-mination as to whether particular informetioo satisfies these cr:iteria. The test imposed by arti’::le 5547-12 is similar to that used by tbe Texas Supreme Court in detwmininn whether Information is exceoted from disclosure by e co-n Iav. r<ght of privacy. 10 Indu&isl Foundation

’of the South v. Tems Industrial Accident Board, 540 S.W.Zd 668, 603 (Tex. 1976), the cori:t said that material ia protected by c-n law privacy if it coot,tios “highly intimate or -embarrassing facto” whose disclosure would be “highly objectionable to a person of ordinary seoslbilitles.” Lo Open Recorda Decision No. 262 (1980). thie office said that medical ioformetloo ordinarily satisfiee this teat if it relates to

a ‘drug overdose,’ ‘.acute alcohol intoxication.’

‘obstetrical/gyoecol~~gical’ illness. ‘convulsions/ sciruree.’ or ‘emotional/mental distress.’ Furthermore. l

oy ioformation “‘created or maiotaioed” by a physician under section 5.08 o,farticle 4495b. V.T.C.S., or by e “professional” as defined lo article 5561h. V.T.C.S., may not be released except aa iodicated in those etatutee. Thlo standard vi11 providsr some guidelines for the county clerk’n
‘decieioo lo determining uhct:her **to** withhold ioformation in a particular iostaoce. Wenote, however, the likelihood that much or all material relating to a pewon Buffering from mental or emotional illoese may be excepted uncle:r this standard. If the clerk is 

### .. (

3

‘2. 1159Honorable hike Driecoll - Psgc! 3 (JM-260)

uncertaio about **whether** particular information "discloses intimate detail0 of **the** peraonal and private life **of** the accused,u or of a member of his family, the material in question should be submitted to this office as a request uodel: the OpenRecords Act.
**ii ’** **] M** **I4 A**  **R Y**  A county clerk may disclose to **the** public ioformation filed :ln **connection** with a mentally ill docket only if such loformatioo does not "disclose intimate bdetaila of the personal and private life of thl? accused," or of a member of his family, pursuan: to article 5547-12. V.T.C.S.

J~I Fl UATTOX Attorney **Genera1** of Texas
**TOM GREEN**  First Assistant Attorney General DAVIDR. RICBARDS Executive **Assistant Attorney**  'General RICEGILPIN Chairman, Opinion Conauittee Prepared by Rick Gilpin Assiataot Attorney General APPROVED: OPINION

COPBIITTEE .RickCilpio. Chairman Jon Bible Co110Carl Susan Gerrieoo 'TonyGuillory JimNoellioger Jennifer Riggs Nancy Sutton

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