On December 22, 2003, Judge Jeffrey Winikoff of the Palm Beach County Florida Court, issued an order denying Rush Limbaugh's motion to quash search warrants seeking copies of his confidential medical records. The court held that Florida may obtain the records for the purpose of conducting a criminal investigation against Rush Limbaugh. The investigation relates to a claim that Mr. Limbaugh has engaged in "doctor shopping" by obtaining prescription drugs from numerous doctors, without informing each doctor of the other prescriptions.

Some of the prescription drugs Rush Limbaugh is being investigated for potentially misusing are Oxycontin, Norco, Hydrocodone, Lorcet, and Clonidine.

Florida Statute 893.13(7)(a)(8) makes it unlawful in Florida to:

"To withhold information from a practitioner from whom the person seeks to obtain a controlled substance or a prescription for a controlled substance that the person making the request has received a controlled substance or a prescription for a controlled substance of like therapeutic use from another practitioner within the previous 30 days."

A violation of this statute is a third degree felony. The punishment for a third degree felony in Florida is imprisonment up to 5 years and/or a fine of up to $5000. (Florida Statutes 775.082 and 775.083.)