Story perspectives

Judge OKs Tiger Woods Prescription Records After DUI

5/12/2026

Summary

Tiger Woods Subpoena

U.S. District Judge Darren Steele authorized prosecutors to obtain Tiger Woods' prescription records, approving a subpoena for prescriptions filled Jan 1-Mar 27 2026 and a protective order.
Woods was arrested on Mar 27 2026 in Jupiter Island after his Land Rover rolled, with deputies noting two hydrocodone pills, lethargy and a 0.00 breath-alcohol reading.
He pleaded not guilty to DUI, property-damage and refusal charges, received a $163 citation, and said he will seek inpatient treatment.

Summary

Woods Pleads Guilty

Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving, leading to the DUI charge being dropped and a status conference set for June 2.
The March crash damaged the tractor-trailer by about $5,000, according to the police report.
A toxicology test after the incident found Vicodin, Xanax, Ambien, Dilaudid and THC in Woods’ system.
Woods’ rehab in Switzerland keeps him out of this week’s PGA Championship, a major storyline.

Summary

Tiger Woods Misses

The USGA announced Tiger Woods (golfer) will miss the upcoming U.S. Open while he remains in treatment.
Police administered a seated field-sobriety test because his leg injury prevented standing.
A deputy called his movements lethargic and suspected an unknown substance, while Woods disclosed his ankle is fused, he walks with a limp, and he had hoped to play the Masters before seeking inpatient care.

Summary

Woods Subpoena

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office released police body-camera footage of Woods after the March 27 2026 crash.
Doug Duncan admitted that prescription-drug privacy “is not absolute,” framing the case as a privacy-rights dispute.
A subpoena seeks all prescription records from a Palm Beach pharmacy for the period January 1 2026 through the end of March 2026, a broader window than the March 27 cut-off.

History

Historical Context

Congress enacted HIPAA in 1996 to set federal standards for protecting patients’ health information. The Privacy Rule, effective April 14 2003, permits limited disclosures to law-enforcement via subpoenas, a balance reflected in today’s U.S. District Judge Darren Steele order for Tiger Woods’ 2026 prescription records. The case echoes the law’s original tension between privacy rights and public-safety demands.

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Tiger Woods Subpoena

U.S. District Judge Darren Steele authorized prosecutors to obtain Tiger Woods' prescription records, approving a subpoena for prescriptions filled Jan 1-Mar 27 2026 and a protective order.
Woods was arrested on Mar 27 2026 in Jupiter Island after his Land Rover rolled, with deputies noting two hydrocodone pills, lethargy and a 0.00 breath-alcohol reading.
He pleaded not guilty to DUI, property-damage and refusal charges, received a $163 citation, and said he will seek inpatient treatment.

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