UPDATE: Judge grants permanent injunction blocking the release of Bob Saget's death investigation records
Last month, Saget's widow, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters filed a lawsuit against the sheriff and medical examiner's office
Update, 3/15: Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Vincent Chiu has granted a permanent injunction blocking the release of records related to the actor’s death, including the final death report. This decision comes nearly a month after Saget’s family filed a lawsuit against the Orange County, Florida Sheriff and Medical Examiner’s office and after Chiu granted a temporary order to keep the files sealed.
“The entire Saget family is grateful that the Judge granted their request for an injunction to preserve Bob’s dignity, as well as their privacy rights, especially after suffering this unexpected and tragic loss. We are pleased this issue has been resolved, and the healing process can continue to move forward. All of the prayers and well wishes continuously extended to the family are beyond appreciated,” Saget family attorney Brian Bieber says in a statement to CNN.
A judge has granted a temporary order that will block the release of records from the investigation into Bob Saget’s death. This comes after Saget’s widow, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters filed a lawsuit against the Orange County, Florida Sheriff and Medical Examiner’s office in order to keep those files sealed.
According to the lawsuit filed earlier this week, Rizzo and her daughters wish to block the release of those records due to their graphic nature. “In the process of these investigations, Defendants created records which include photographs, video recordings, audio recordings, statutorily protected autopsy information, and all other statutorily protected information,” the lawsuit explains, per CNN. “Upon information and belief, some of these Records graphically depict Mr. Saget, his likeness or features, or parts of him, and were made by Defendants during Defendants’ investigations.”
The family believes that if those graphic materials went public, it would cause them “irreparable harm in the form of extreme mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress.”
Judge Vincent Chiu agreed with the family’s argument and granted a temporary ordered that will block the release of the records. ABC reports that this injunction, though temporary, will stay in effect until a future court decision.
A lawyer for the family told CNN, that though the “facts of the investigation should be made public,” they wanted the more graphic details to be kept confidential “out of respect for the dignity of Mr. Saget and his family.”
“It’s very simple—from a human and legal standpoint, the Saget family’s privacy rights outweigh any public interest in disclosure of this sensitive information,” the lawyer added.
In a statement, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said, “”While we are sensitive to the family’s concerns about the right to privacy, that must be balanced with our commitment to transparency, compliance with the law, and the public’s right to know.”
Saget died on January 9 after a head injury sustained from a fall in his hotel room. In his report, Chief Medical Examiner, Joshua D. Stephany, ruled his death an accident.