Opinion ID: 201350
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dr. Bird's July 5, 1994, Letter

Text: 20 On July 5, 1994, Dr. Bird wrote a letter to Alexander, which the court found to constitute[ ], perhaps, the most significant piece of evidence in this case. Powell, 221 F.Supp.2d at 132. The letter began: I stated in a letter 12/21/93 that I felt [Powell] would be disqualified due to the presence of chronic active hepatitis. Dr. Bird then gave a detailed description of the liver biopsy results sent to him by Powell's doctor. Dr. Bird next related that he had consulted medical experts at the University of Massachusetts and the Centers for Disease Control, seeking any information on guidelines for this condition, and discovered that no existing guidelines barred a person infected with Hepatitis C from working as a police officer. Dr. Bird stated: The consensus was, given [Powell's] current state of health, that there would be currently no reason to limit his physical activity. Dr. Bird's letter concluded: Now that the exact nature and stage of Mr. Powell's chronic liver disease is known, I feel that he does not have a condition which would disqualify him from returning to the police force. Dr. Bird's copy of the letter, which he kept in his business files, was accompanied by a sticky note that read, Confidential per request [of] K. Alexander. Powell remained unaware of the letter's existence until it surfaced during discovery in the instant lawsuit. At trial, Alexander denied that she had ever instructed Dr. Bird to suppress the letter. 21