43.235.040 - Confidentiality -- Access to information. - Washington Statutes

Confidentiality — Access to information.

(1) An oral or written communication or a document shared within or produced by a regional domestic violence fatality review panel related to a domestic violence fatality review is confidential and not subject to disclosure or discoverable by a third party. An oral or written communication or a document provided by a third party to a regional domestic violence fatality review panel, or between a third party and a regional domestic violence fatality review panel is confidential and not subject to disclosure or discovery by a third party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, recommendations from the regional domestic violence fatality review panel and the coordinating entity generally may be disclosed minus personal identifiers.

     (2) The regional review panels, only to the extent otherwise permitted by law or court rule, shall have access to information and records regarding the domestic violence victims and perpetrators under review held by domestic violence perpetrators' treatment providers; dental care providers; hospitals, medical providers, and pathologists; coroners and medical examiners; mental health providers; lawyers; the state and local governments; the courts; and employers. The coordinating entity and the regional review panels shall maintain the confidentiality of such information to the extent required by any applicable law.

     (3) The regional review panels shall review, only to the extent otherwise permitted by law or court rule when determined to be relevant and necessary to an investigation, guardian ad litem reports, parenting evaluations, and victim impact statements; probation information; mental health evaluations done for court; presentence interviews and reports, and any recommendations made regarding bail and release on own recognizance; child protection services, welfare, and other information held by the department; any law enforcement incident documentation, such as incident reports, dispatch records, victim, witness, and suspect statements, and any supplemental reports, probable cause statements, and 911 call taker's reports; corrections and postsentence supervision reports; and any other information determined to be relevant to the review. The coordinating entity and the regional review panels shall maintain the confidentiality of such information to the extent required by any applicable law.

[2000 c 50 § 4.]