In 2003, the Dallas Observer ran a story that identified a man with HIV. The identified person sued under a Texas law that included penalties for those who disclosed the results of HIV tests.
The Texas Court of Appeals in Dallas today ruled that law only applies to people who have direct access to a person’s medical file and information, not just somebody who knows they have the disease. The identified person might still be able to sue for the privacy tort of public disclosure of private fact, however.