A Florida judge has temporarily granted a request from the late comedian Bob Saget’s family to block the public release of records related to his sudden January death in a hotel room in Orlando, including photos of the scene and autopsy information.
The decision comes a day after the family sought an injunction in a Florida court to prevent the full file from being available to the public.
“The facts of the investigation should be made public, but these materials should remain private out of respect for the dignity of Mr Saget and his family,” Brian Bieber, an attorney representing the family, told WKMG.
Circuit judge Vincent Chiu agreed, finding that Saget’s family has “a clear legal right or interest in the Protected Records” and would “suffer irreparable harm in the form of severe mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress if the requested temporary injunction is not granted”.
The decision could halt media plans to report on the contents of the records, with the injunction request noting that a number of outlets either plan to or already have requested access to the files, which include records that “graphically” portray the dead actor, according to court documents.
Saget, 65, was found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando hotel on 9 January, the day after performing a show in the area as part of an ongoing comedy tour. A security guard entered his room when he failed to check out and called 911.
Earlier this month, the Orlando medical examiner said the mostly likely cause of death was an “unwitnessed fall,” with a toxicology report showing no signs of recent drug or alcohol use.
“His injuries were most likely incurred from an unwitnessed fall,” medical examiner Joshua Stephany said. “The manner of death is accident.”
Investigators say there’s no foul play suspected in the death either, and that the comedian’s valuables were found undisturbed in the hotel room, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Citing unnamed sources, TMZ reports that investigators now believe the Full House star hit his head on the headboard of his bed and lost consciousness before dying.
