Pacific Radiation Oncology, LLC v. The Queen's Medical Center.

Opinion of the Court by

McKENNA, J.

I. Introduction

This court has been asked to provide guidance to the United States District Court for the District of Hawai'i (“District Court”) on questions of Hawai'i law. At issue is whether the parties may use, or be compelled to produce, the confidential medical records of over 100 cancer patients, in an effort to prosecute or defend against claims that the Plaintiff doctors steered these patients away from treatment at Defendant Queens’ Medical Center. The patients are not parties to the underlying lawsuit, although 19 of them have been granted…