Opinion
No. 92-1916.
January 12, 1993.
Petition for review from the Circuit Court, Dade County, Jon I. Gordon, J.
Barwick, Dillian Lambert, P.A., Cooper Wolfe, P.A., and Sharon L. Wolfe, Miami, for petitioners.
Kutner, Rubinoff, Thompson Bush and Susan S. Lerner, Miami, for respondents Williams and Stringer.
Before BARKDULL, COPE and GODERICH, JJ.
PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI
The petitioner, Dr. Moises Rub, seeks review of an order which permitted the discovery and use of an unsworn statement taken during the medical malpractice presuit screening process. We find that Dr. Rub's statement made during the presuit screening process is privileged under section 766.106, Florida Statutes (1991) and rule 1.650, Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. For this reason, the trial court departed from the essential requirements of law when it ruled that the plaintiffs could use the unsworn statement for impeachment. We grant certiorari and quash the trial court's order permitting the use of this privileged statement.