Several patients at Baptist Hospital in Jay say that hospital administrators told them staff members took “horrible” pictures of them late at night while they were asleep or under medication and posted those pictures on social media.
Jay Hospital officials say the employees have since been fired.
Pensacola personal injury attorney Joe Zarzaur says three different people have called him with similar claims that four employees at the Jay Hospital entered patient rooms and took “unflattering and unauthorized photos” of patients.
Patients say they were told the employees specifically posted them on Snapchat, a social media app popular for sending temporary photos and videos.
Zarzaur’s clients told him they learned about the incidents from hospital administrators who approached the affected families and patients, “seeking signatures on releases that included non-disclosure statements in exchange for monetary settlements.”
“(One) client was approached by hospital administration who just said, ‘We can't tell you what these pictures show, and we can't show you the pictures, but trust me, they're horrible,’" Zarzaur said. "I think they offered $25,000 to start with and then they came back the next morning and they offered $50,000. The client wanted to know why they were so aggressive about it and why he couldn’t see the pictures. And the hospital administration was like, ‘Trust me, they're just horrible.’”
Zarzaur says his client wasn't comfortable signing a release and a non-disclosure agreement with a confidentiality clause without more information including what was depicted in the images, how many pictures were taken, and where they were displayed in the public domain.
Zarzaur said hospital administrators approached one client in their hospital room, and another was approached in an outpatient rehab facility.
The incidents reportedly happened back in February.
“Upon learning of the allegation, we immediately conducted a preliminary investigation and notified the appropriate authorities and the patients,” Jay Hospital said in a statement. “Following the investigation, the individuals involved were terminated. We are committed to protecting the privacy, safety and dignity of our patients. As this matter involves patient privacy and is currently under investigation, we are unable to share further details at this time.”
Zarzaur says he represents two clients, and a third person recently approached him who may also want to pursue legal action over the “disturbing incident.”
He is expecting to file a lawsuit by the end of the week that will likely allege invasion of privacy.
The incidents happened in February and, according to Zarzaur’s clients, hospital administration just met with them over the past couple of weeks.
He said that opens up questions about how long the employees who were involved continued to work at Jay Hospital and if there’s a possibility of other patients having their pictures taken.