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Breach of Confidentiality-Child Abandonment

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Joybelle517

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? TN

I wasn't sure where to post this, but this was the closest part of the forum I could find that relates to my problem.

Yesterday, I called the Shelby County, TN Dept. of Family Services. A close friend of mine was telling me about her sis-in-law who has had physical custody of an infant because the mother stated she wasn't able to care for her as she was on drugs. The SIL and her husband aren't the brightest crayons in the box, but even though I was made aware of this situation a few months ago, because no abuse was taking place, I didn't report it at the time.

Yesterday that all changed when my friend told me they were planning on moving out of state with the infant, and that the infant has asthma. Since they are on welfare but the baby isn't, due to nothing being done through the courts in regard to the custody, I was concerned for the child.

I called the State and told them what I knew, and what the SIL had stated in an email to my friend. He took my personal info and I shared it, believing it would be kept confidential, as the laws of TN so state.

The SIL called my friend today, claiming that she was told I had called and gave her a WI address. While the WI part is a lie, since I live in IL (my friend lives in WI), she wouldn't have 'lucky guessed' my name, especially since someone else (a friend of her's in TN) reported the welfare of the baby just two weeks ago.

In that incident, the state wasn't aware that the infant isn't hers, and since she stated she was moving soon, they told her that would be a good idea (according to her, anyway).

This breach is causing a big family problem now because the husband of the SIL is the brother of my friend's husband.

I called and talked to someone in the Dept. tonight and she gave me a number for Shelby County and said what they did was illegal and to talk to a supervisor.

I'm not a sue-happy person and in fact, have never sued anyone in my life. However, as a professional in the medical field, I'm well aware of the 'punishment' I would receive if I were to disclose confidential info, and being sued monetarily would be the least of my problems.

My question is, how do I go about filing a lawsuit against the state for the breach?


Thanks.
 



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