Matthew Moore, 46, of Los Angeles told NBC4 he is suing his doctor and a local healthcare organization because his medical records listed his sexual orientation as a chronic medical condition, a characterization he said was "painful" and discriminatory.
Moore said he discovered the offensive classification including outdated diagnosis codes in June 2013 after a routine physical with Dr. Elaine Jones of the Torrance Health Association in May of 2013, according to the lawsuit, filed against Jones, Torrance Health Association, and the Torrance Memorial Physician Network. Moore alleges he suffered from intentional infliction of emotional distress and libel, according to the NBC4 report.
Lawyers for Torrance have since moved to dismiss sections of Moore's lawsuit, saying it is ambiguous.
The legal complaint states that Moore initially did not take legal action because Torrance apologized and said the records would be corrected. However, in May 2014, Moore learned only the diagnosis codes were removed, but "homosexual behavior" remained.
In a statement to NBC4, the Torrance Memorial Physicians Network said it took the appropriate steps to update and correct Moore's medical records.
"Due to the highly complex software used in creating an electronic medical record, the incorrect code continued to exist in an electronic table only," the statement said. "As a result, this incorrect diagnosis code was included on a paper copy of the record, which was provided only to the patient."
Moore refuses to be silent after the experience, saying "I don’t want any gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual ever to hear from a doctor that their normal and healthy sexuality is anything other than that," he told NBC4.
