Additional records in the Bob Saget death investigation are being withheld by a judge

Additional records in the Bob Saget death investigation are being withheld by a judge
A Florida judge granted a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, preventing the release of additional data linked to the death investigation of actor and comedian Bob Saget.
According to CNN, the judge’s decision comes after Saget’s family filed a petition Tuesday to prevent the release of certain information, claiming privacy concerns.
Saget, 65, was discovered dead in his hotel room last month in Orlando, Florida. The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that his death was unintentional, most likely as a result of him falling backward and hitting his skull.
Saget’s widow Kelly Rizzo and her three daughters filed a lawsuit against Orange County’s sheriff and the medical examiner’s office on Tuesday, requesting that some investigation records related to the death be exempt from public disclosure due to the graphic nature of how they portray the late actor.
“During these investigations, Defendants created records that included photographs, video recordings, audio recordings, statutorily protected autopsy information, and every other statutorily protected material,” according to the lawsuit. “Some of these Records, according to information and belief, graphically portray Mr. Saget, his resemblance or features, or parts of him, and were made by Defendants during Defendants’ investigations.”
The family claims in the lawsuit that releasing this material, whether through a public records request or otherwise, would cause them “irreparable harm in the form of profound mental agony, anxiety, and emotional distress.”
Ninth Circuit Court Judge Vincent Chiu agreed and granted the motion, according to court documents acquired by CNN affiliate WESH.
According to Brian Bieber, an attorney for the Saget family, the injunction was sought to “block dissemination of any images or films of Mr. Saget made by the authorities throughout their inquiry.”
“The facts of the investigation should be made public, but the materials should be kept secret in order to respect Mr. Saget’s and his family’s dignity. It’s simple: the Saget family’s privacy rights transcend any public interest in disclosing this sensitive information, both humanly and legally.”
“While we are sensitive to the family’s privacy concerns, this must be balanced with our commitment to transparency, compliance with the law, and the public’s right to know,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department stated in a statement to CNN.
“It is most likely that the deceased fell backwards without being seen and smacked the back of his head. The cause of death is an accident “Dr. Joshua D. Stephany, Chief Medical Examiner, stated in his report.
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