Bob Saget’s family is taking legal action against Florida authorities in hopes of keeping the comedian’s death records private.
In court documents filed on Tuesday, the Full House lead’s wife Kelly Rizzo and his daughters Aubrey, Lara, and Jennifer (whom he shared with his first wife Sherri Kramer) are suing Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office to prevent the release of any records related to Saget’s death.
This legal move comes as an effort to stop outlets from reporting further on the star’s passing, as the complaint claims “certain news and media outlets have filed or plan to file public records requests.” The family would like to keep all those materials confidential, and the attorneys representing them claim that Bob’s family will “suffer irreparable harm in the form of extreme mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress” if officials allow the release of the reports. They are asking for the court to grant a declaratory relief so that the docs remain “confidential and exempt from disclosure under Florida law.”
Related: What TV Dad Bob Saget Taught Jodie Sweetin About Loss
Speaking to E! News about the filing, Brian Bieber, the family’s lawyer, explained:
“In order to protect the Saget family’s privacy, today on their behalf, I filed for an injunction to prevent the disclosure of any photographs or videos of Mr. Saget made by the authorities during their investigation.”
Whoa. It is very understandable why the family is trying to stop media outlets from reporting on photos or videos taken of the 65-year-old immediately following his death. What a difficult and traumatizing thing to have to deal with while already working through such immense grief.
Just because the family doesn’t want these harrowing documents to be released to the public, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to share the final moments of their loved one, just as they’ve done in the past. They simply don’t want those videos or photos circulating the internet. Their lawyer agrees, insisting that the “facts of the investigation should be made public.” That said, Bieber sees no reason that materials from the case should be released, adding:
“[They] should remain private out of respect for the dignity of Mr. Saget and his family.”
Brian went on to insist why this suit is so “simple,” arguing:
“It’s very simple—from a human and legal standpoint—the Saget family’s privacy rights outweigh any public interest in disclosure of this sensitive information.”
Meanwhile, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t sound so easily persuaded, telling E! News:
“While we are sensitive to the family’s concerns about the right to privacy, that must be balanced with our commitment to transparency, compliance with the law, and the public’s right to know.”
As Perezcious readers know, the How I Met Your Mother alum was found dead in his Ritz-Carlton Hotel room on January 9 in Orlando. His cause of death was determined to be head trauma. Authorities revealed that he “accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep.” Drugs or alcohol were not involved.
Related: Bob Saget’s Daughter Lara Reflects On His ‘Unconditional Love’ In First Public Tribute
Following this heartbreaking news, Kelly, Aubrey, Lara, and Jennifer released a joint statement, asking for fans to remember how Bob would have wanted us all to move forward, saying:
“As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter.”
A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office have yet to address the lawsuit further. We hope Kelly and Bob’s daughters get some closure about this issue while they mourn his loss.
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