Four Tops singer sues Michigan hospital – The Morning Sun
Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital Warren Campus. (FILE PHOTO)
The lead singer of the Four Tops has sued a Macomb County hospital, claiming he was treated like a psychiatric patient because of his race when he was admitted to a Warren hospital emergency room for heart problems.
Alexander Morris, 63, of Southfield, sued Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital on 12 Mile Road in Warren last month in U.S. District Court in Detroit over the April 7, 2023, incident at the hospital.
Morris says he went to the emergency room with chest pains and difficulty breathing and told staff there that he was the lead singer of the Four Tops. But instead of treating him, he claims, staff disbelieved him, racially discriminated against him, delayed treatment and put him in a straitjacket.
Morris says he was “denied medical care for his genuine medical emergency and was misdiagnosed and mistreated because of his race, and/or his genuine diagnosis was delayed, he was treated unequally because of his race, and his health condition deteriorated and/or worsened due to racial discrimination,” according to the lawsuit filed on his behalf by attorney Maurice Davis.
Morris made his allegations public shortly after the incident and announced a lawsuit.
“I almost didn’t make it home that day,” Morris told the Macomb Daily at the time. “I’m married and the father of two daughters. I was that way long before I was part of the Four Top. I wonder how many other people who don’t have a voice have gone through that. It wasn’t right, no matter what my status was. If I’m admitted sick, that should be their number one priority. Damage was done by their reckless actions.”
The indictment includes eight counts, alleging that the hospital violated his equal treatment under the law and his civil rights based on racial discrimination; that a nurse, a security guard, and the hospital acted negligently and with gross negligence; that a security guard and the hospital wrongfully detained him; that he was charged with assault and battery; that a security guard and the hospital intentionally inflicted emotional injury on him; and that the hospital violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the complaint, Morris says that when he went inside, he “told a nurse and a security guard that he was a member of the famous Motown group The Four Tops and that he was currently experiencing safety concerns due to stalkers and fans.”
He also told medical staff that he was on oxygen and had a history of numerous heart conditions, including the placement of stents and a defibrillator, the lawsuit says.
A doctor, nurse and security guard did not believe he was part of the Four Tops and “profiled him based on his race and/or perceived disability,” the lawsuit says. The doctor took him off oxygen and decided to “conduct a psychiatric evaluation instead, despite his clear symptoms of cardiac distress and significant medical history,” the lawsuit says.
“Plaintiff had a valid ID on his person and could have easily been identified as the lead singer of the group Four Tops,” the lawsuit states. “At the time of the incident, the Four Tops were on a national music tour with the Temptations and had recently performed at the Grammy Awards.”
A security guard “put a restraint vest and/or four-point restraint on him, took his belongings, and (Morris) was told he would have to undergo a ‘psychological evaluation.'”
He was referred to another doctor.
When Morris tried to show his ID, “the white male security guard ordered him to sit on his black bottom. None of the nursing staff intervened to stop the racial discrimination and mistreatment of the plaintiff,” the lawsuit says. At least one and as many as four medical staff members witnessed the security guard’s remark, the lawsuit says.
Morris says his request to leave the country so he could receive treatment at another hospital was denied.
“He was wrongfully detained and deprived of his personal property,” the lawsuit states. “During this time, his health continued to deteriorate and he was denied the medical treatment he desperately needed.”
Eventually he was able to convince a nurse of his identity by showing her a video of his performance. The restraint suit was removed and he was given oxygen again.
He says he was diagnosed with a heart defect that may require a heart transplant, as well as pneumonia, and suffered three seizures during his 90-minute stay.
He said he refused to accept a $25 gift card as an apology “for the dehumanization and discrimination he experienced in the hospital.”
Ascension has not yet responded to the lawsuit, but said in a statement last year: “The health, safety and well-being of our patients, employees and community members remain our highest priority. We remain committed to respecting human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion toward all people and the community. We do not tolerate racial discrimination of any kind.”
Morris, aka “Lex,” joined the Four Tops in 2019 and tours with founding member Duke Fakir, 88, as well as Ronnie McNeir and Lawrence “Roquel” Payton Jr., son of founding member Lawrence Payton.
The group performed with The Temptations at the Fox Theater last October.
The best quotes from Richard Simmons on life, love and weight loss
Baltimore Orioles lose to NY Yankees 6-1, suffering their first AL East series defeat since early 2023
Amplitude, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPL)’s intrinsic value may be 74% above its share price
About The Author
