Without My Consent

Caselaw

• Doe v. American Lawyer Media, L.P., 639 So.2d 1021 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1994) – Doe’s name is published in Defendant’s newspaper, concerning Doe’s paternity action, allegedly in violation of a state statute protecting the names of those involved in such actions. Doe appeals grant of summary judgment to newspaper and loses: the court holds that because Doe herself revealed her name by filing her paternity action under her true name, rather than a pseudonym, only amended her complaint to use a pseudonym one month later, she placed her name in public records.
• Favalora v. Sidaway, 996 So.2d 895 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2008) – Named, adult, plaintiff to civil suit arising from alleged sexual abuse by priest of plaintiff as a child, makes interrogatory request for name and address of every alleged victim of a priest in the dioceses. Trial court order required “the Archdiocese to produce the names of the alleged victims and perpetrators in cases where a suit was filed even if the plaintiff filed suit under a pseudonym and the case never proceeded to trial.” The instant court held that privacy interests of these non-litigants would be invaded, and quashed the portion of the order “that allows discovery of the names of alleged victims who filed suit under a pseudonym or the person's initials.” Id. at 899-900. 
• Other cases demonstrate that privacy plaintiffs can proceed as Does, without touching upon the reason for pseudonymity:
• Doe v. Univision Television Group, Inc., 717 So.2d 63 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1998) – the reported opinion does not state why the plaintiff was allowed to proceed pseudonymously. However, Doe brought, inter alia, an invasion of privacy claim from a TV interview in which her identity was supposed to be protected, but was not, concerning her botched plastic surgery.