In 2010 the Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) ruled that medical records of Civil War soldiers treated at Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH) are public records subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. In an upcoming case, the commission will consider whether CVH’s records of Amy Archer Gilligan should be made public.
Gilligan, suspected of committing two dozen murders in the early 20th century, was committed to CVH after pleading guilty to one of the murders. Her case inspired the film Arsenic and Old Lace. According to the Connecticut Law Tribune, a journalist researching Gilligan has requested CVH’s records of her treatment. After initially saying that Gilligan’s files could not be located, CVH is asserting, as it did in the Civil War case, that the psychiatrist-patient privilege exempts the records from disclosure. The FOIC is scheduled to hear the case today.
