HENRY PITMAN, Magistrate Judge.
Plaintiff, who appears to be a pretrial detainee in the custody of the New York City Department of Corrections, commenced this action for injunctive relief and damages, alleging that he has been subjected to illegal strip searches and denied appropriate medical care for injuries he allegedly sustained when he refused to submit to strip searches. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that he suffered mental anguish and injuries to his hands, wrists and shoulders when he refused to submit to the strip searches.
On August 28, 2018, in response to an application from defendants, I ordered plaintiff to provide defendants with a HIPAA-compliant release for his medical records no later than September 18, 2018. Instead of providing the release, plaintiff provided defendants' counsel (and the Court) with what appears to be a complete copy of his medical records since his receipt at the Anna M. Kross Correctional Facility.
As a result of his claiming mental and physical injuries, plaintiff has put his mental and physical condition in issue, and defendants are, therefore, entitled to conduct discovery concerning these matters.
Plaintiff has not articulated any valid basis for refusing to sign a release for his medical records. He has not, for example, claimed that defendants are attempting to seek records concerning potentially irrelevant or embarrassing physical or mental conditions. To the contrary, the records that plaintiff has himself provided address physical issues beyond those alleged in the complaint.
Accordingly, I shall give plaintiff one final opportunity to comply with my August 28, 2018 Order. Plaintiff is directed to provide counsel for defendants with a HIPAA compliant release for his medical records (relating to both his physical and mental conditions) no later than December 13, 2018.
The clerk of the Court is respectfully requested to mark Docket Items 17 and 20 closed.
SO ORDERED.