Rush: My Docs' Records Subpoenaed

Rush Limbaugh says prosecutors have subpoenaed records from his doctors as part of the investigation into the conservative radio commentator's prescription drug use.

Prosecutors are trying to determine whether Limbaugh visited several doctors to illegally receive duplicate prescriptions of controlled narcotics. Limbaugh sought treatment for his admitted addiction to painkillers in October and has not been charged with a crime.

On his radio show Friday, Limbaugh said Palm Beach County prosecutors sent subpoenas to the offices of four of his doctors, "demanding a list of every employee at every doctor's office I visited, from March to September of 2003," according to a transcript of the program on his Web site.

"They're already figuring they're going to win the opportunity to see my medical records, and once they see them, they want a list of names at these doctors' offices that they can re-subpoena and bring in for interviews," Limbaugh said.

Also Friday, the state's 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach gave prosecutors 15 days to respond to Limbaugh's appeal of a Palm Beach County judge's order allowing them to review his medical records, which remain sealed.

Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, contends that prosecutors violated Limbaugh's privacy rights when they seized the medical records late last year by using search warrants, rather than first notifying Limbaugh and giving him a chance to challenge the seizure.

A spokesman for Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer declined to comment Friday. He did not return phone calls Saturday.

Krischer has repeatedly insisted that investigators have followed the law and "scrupulously protected" Limbaugh's rights.

Krischer's office began investigating more than a year ago after Limbaugh's former maid told them she sold Limbaugh "large quantities of hydrocodone, Oxycontin and other pharmaceutical drugs" for years. She gave investigators e-mails and answering machine recordings to support her claims.