Massachusetts Hospital Likely to Beat Wiretap Claim, Judge Says

Massachusetts-based Lawrence General Hospital appears likely to defeat a lawsuit alleging it disclosed the personal information of patients to Meta Platforms Inc. and Google LLC in violation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

Lawrence General was a party to the communications at issue in the lawsuit, rendering it exempt from ECPA liability, Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts said Aug. 29.

Because the plaintiff’s allegations didn’t show that Lawrence General used the web tracking tools for the purpose of committing a criminal or tortious act—a requirement for imposing ECPA liability ...