Coroner's Recall Thrown Out
SPOKANE - The state Supreme Court yesterday threw out a recall effort against Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend, who had been accused of violating medical confidentiality by publicly discussing autopsy results.
The court ruled that evidence was insufficient to support recall backers' claims that Amend committed misfeasance and malfeasance by telling reporters a 9-year-old murder victim had previously been sodomized. X The high court reversed a Spokane County Superior Court ruling that Amend violated state laws by failing to keep an autopsy report confidential and disclosing health care information without proper authorization.
Amend is the subject of about a half-dozen claims against the county for his demeanor with grieving survivors and apparent attempts to portray homosexuality as a cause of death in certain
cases.