Bob Saget’s Family Won A Permanent Injunction Barring The Release Of His Autopsy Records
At long last, a Florida judge has done no harm. According to CBS19, Bob Saget’s family has successfully persuaded a judge to issue a permanent injunction blocking the release of some of the records pertaining to his death. As we know, Bob died tragically in January at the age of 65 after being found unresponsive in an Orlando, Florida hotel room. Authorities determined that the cause of death was head trauma likely the result of an accidental backward fall and that no illicit drugs or alcohol were found in his system. Previously, a judge had granted his family a temporary injunction barring any “photos, video or other records related to the investigation into his death” from being made public. Yesterday’s ruling makes that ruling permanent.
According to CBS19:
Saget’s wife, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters recently filed a lawsuit in Orlando, asking the state judge for a ruling that would prohibit the release of any records from the local medical examiner’s office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office involving the probe into Saget’s death.
Circuit Judge Vincent Chiu had issued the temporary injunction, saying that Saget’s family would suffer “severe mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress” if the request wasn’t granted. He said the injunction was in the public’s interest as he decided whether the family’s privacy concerns outweighed any claims for the records to be released.
It sounds as if this decision is a great weight off of the family’s shoulders. It’s hard enough to lose a loved one in such a sudden, senseless way without a bunch of citizen detective weirdos looking for clues that aren’t there. NBC reports:
“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,” Saget’s family said in a statement.
In their lawsuit, Bob’s family said, “no legitimate public interest would be served by the release or dissemination of the records to the public.” CBS19 adds that Bob’s autopsy report showed he had “an abrasion on his scalp, a fracture at the base of his skull, fractures around his eye sockets, bleeding between the brain and tissue covering the brain as well as bruises to the brain.” People also reports that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office determined upon reexamining the incident report, that “there isn’t conclusive reasoning” that can explain “the severe fractures to the back of his head and around his eyes” and that “nothing was located in the room that allows for a definitive conclusion” as to the exact time or mechanism of his injuries. And according to People:
Saget was also positive for COVID-19 and was taking clonazepam, a prescription drug that helps treat seizures, panic disorder and anxiety. He had aortic atherosclerosis (plaque build-up inside the wall of the aorta), cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart) and coronary artery atherosclerosis (damage or disease in the heart’s major blood vessels).
I can’t imagine how incredibly difficult it must be for Bob’s family to have so few answers. But at least nobody needs to worry about those horrible photos popping up while innocently searching for clips of Bob on America’s Funniest Home Videos. And by “nobody” I mean his family, of course, but also me. That shit was my jam!
Pic: INSTAR