Widow wants records kept private in case against Ravnsborg

August 12, 2021

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The widow of a man struck and killed on a South Dakota highway by the state’s attorney general is attempting to block the release of her husband’s mental health records.

A judge recently ordered several hospitals and clinics to provide records about Joe Boever’s psychiatric state.

The judge’s order came after a lawyer for Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg alleged in court documents that Boever’s Sept. 12 death may have been a suicide.

The judge was to review the records before deciding whether any of the information is relevant to Ravnsborg’s upcoming trial.

Jenny Boever argues that she has substantial right to privacy under the South Dakota Constitution and that the records release might disclose sensitive information about her.