Papers Fight Earnhardt Autopsy Law

By: (AP) Two newspapers are asking a court to declare unconstitutional a state law barring access to autopsy photographs without a judge's permission.

The Orlando Sentinel and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel filed the motion Wednesday in Florida Circuit Court. The law was adopted in March after the death of race car legend Dale Earnhardt during this year's Daytona 500.

The Sentinel, which had just published a series on NASCAR driver safety before the race, sought access to Earnhardt's autopsy photos so its experts could review how he died.

Earnhardt's widow pushed for the law, saying a public viewing of the photos would violate her family's right to privacy.

The paper said it did not intend to publish the photos, and its expert was eventually allowed to view them under an agreement with Earnhardt's family.

Two other media outlets -- The Independent Florida Alligator, a student-run newspaper at the University of Florida, and a Web site, Websitecity.com -- have also sought access to the photos. Websitecity.com has posted autopsy photos of other NASCAR drivers.

Wednesday's motion was filed as part of a lawsuit by the Tribune Co. newspapers against the Broward medical examiner after he refused to allow access to photos of people who died last year in, for instance, prisons.

Other newspapers have since joined the suit. A hearing has been set for Oct. 23.

Gregg Thomas, an attorney representing the Tribune newspapers, said the law has unintended consequences, such as making it almost impossible for medical school professors to show autopsy photos to their classes. It also targets a problem that doesn't exist, he said.

"There has never been an incident where a journalist improperly used a photograph in the state of Florida," Thomas said.

The law's sponsor, state Sen. Jim King, said autopsy photos of President Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and others are on the Internet and the Legislature believes that is wrong.

He said if journalists or others have a legitimate reason for viewing autopsy photos, it shouldn't be difficult to convince a judge. "In the name of decorum and family privacy, not everybody should have access to autopsy photos," King said.