Four Tops singer sues hospital after staff didn’t believe he was part of iconic Motown band
Alexander Morris, who has peformed with the Four Tops since 2019, filed suit this week claiming staff at a Detroit-area hospital refused to believe he was a member of the Four Tops and instead restrained him and ordered a psych exam. Alexander Morris, the lead singer of the Four Tops, is suing a Detroit-area hospital after staff at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital allegedly mistook him for being part of the iconic Motown band. Morris was taken to the hospital due to chest pain and breathing problems in April 2023 with chest pain. The hospital staff believed he was mentally ill when he revealed his identity as a celebrity figure, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Michigan. The suit alleges racial discrimination, violation of civil rights, negligence, gross negligence, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It seeks more than $75,000 in damages.
Publicados : 10 meses atrás por Robert Higgs, Robert Higgs | [email protected], RHiggs no Entertainment
DETROIT — The lead singer of the Four Tops says staff at a Detroit-area hospital restrained him, ordered a psychological exam and subjected him to racial discrimination after they refused to believe he was part of the iconic Motown band.
Alexander Morris was taken by ambulance to Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in April 2023 with chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Hospital staff “wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill when he revealed his identity as a celebrity figure,” according to a lawsuit filed this week in federal court in Michigan, cited by The Associated Press.
The suit claims racial discrimination, violation of civil rights, negligence, gross negligence, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, NBC News said. It seeks more than $75,000 in damages.
“It was a terrifying experience to be in the middle of a medical emergency, to be placed into restraints, to have my oxygen turned off, my personal effects taken from me, and no help from the doctors and nurses because of the color of my skin. Racial profiling nearly cost me my life,” Morris said in a statement the AP cited.
The Four Tops was one of the most commercially successful groups in the ‘60s, churning out hits for Motown such as “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),″ “It’s The Same Old Song” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.”
The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Abdul “Duke” Fakir, 88, the only remaining original Four Tops member, continues to perform with new musicians brought into the quartet. Morris has performed with the group since 2019, The New York Times said.
In his suit, Morris says he told hospital staff that he was a member of the Four Tops and expressed concerns over security because of stalkers and fans. Morris says he offered to show his identification card, but the security guard, who is white, told him to “sit his Black ass down,” The Times said.
That’s when a doctor ordered a psychological evaluation, he was told he was not free to leave and was restrained for at least 90 minutes, NBC News said. Morris, who had a history of heart problems, was taken off oxygen while they pursued a psychiatric evaluation.
Morris ultimately showed a nurse video of the Four Tops performing. The nurse realized then he really was a member of the group and informed the emergency room doctor, according to the suit.
The health system declined to comment on the pending litigation but told The Times, “We do not condone racial discrimination of any kind.”
The hospital offered a $25 supermarket gift card as an apology, which Morris refused, the suit said.
“The hospital denied my identity and my basic human dignity and then offered me a gift card,” Morris said in a statement his lawyers provided to The Times.
Tópicos: Lawsuits, Social-ESG