Woods' Lawyer Challenges Subpoena for Rx Records in Martin County DUI

Tiger Woods' attorney filed a legal challenge Tuesday in his client's Martin County DUI case, arguing that prosecutors do not have an automatic right to subpoena Woods' prescription drug records from a Palm Beach pharmacy.

Attorney Douglas Duncan filed papers contending that Woods holds a constitutional privacy interest in records on file at Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach. Duncan simultaneously requested a hearing to let a judge determine whether the records are relevant to the criminal investigation before any subpoena is enforced. "This right to privacy is admittedly not absolute should the State show the relevance of the records to its criminal investigation and thus warrant the intrusion into Mr. Woods' privacy," Duncan wrote in the filing, according to court documents.

Martin County prosecutors are seeking the times prescriptions were filled, the number of pills, dosage amounts and any accompanying instructions — including warnings about driving while taking them — court docket records show. Duncan argued that if the court ultimately grants the subpoena, the records should be kept confidential and shielded from public records requests, available only to the state, law enforcement, state experts and the defense.

The filing is the latest development in a case rooted in a March 27 crash on Jupiter Island, where sheriff's deputies found Woods' SUV clipped a trailer and rolled onto its side. Deputies reported discovering two pain pills in Woods' pocket and observing signs of impairment. Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test, which showed no alcohol, but refused a urine test, officials said. He was traveling on a two-lane beachside road with a 30 mph speed limit at the time of the wreck, which caused an estimated $5,000 in damage to the vehicle, an incident report indicates.

Woods pleaded not guilty. A Martin County judge earlier this month allowed him to travel out of the country to seek treatment. Woods posted on social media that he was stepping away from the public eye but has not spoken publicly since the arrest.

A hearing date on the subpoena challenge had not been scheduled as of Tuesday, public docket records show.

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