The lead singer of Motown's legendary Four Tops has sued a Michigan hospital claiming racial discrimination after staff members assumed he was “delusional” when he said he was in the group and placed him in a restraining jacket.
Alexander Morris, 53, who is Black and joined the iconic vocal quartet in 2018, went to Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren on April 7, 2023, with “clear symptoms of cardiac distress.”
He had difficulty breathing and chest pain, and he was placed on oxygen, said the federal lawsuit, filed Monday in the Eastern District of Michigan.
However, when he informed a nurse and a security guard in the emergency room that he was a member of the Four Tops and had security concerns because of stalkers and fans, they didn't believe him, the suit says. Instead, a doctor ordered a psychological evaluation, and he was restrained for at least an hour and a half, it says.
The suit accuses the hospital and two staffers — a nurse and a security guard — of negligence, racial discrimination, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“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 his attorneys released Tuesday.
Morris had a “significant known history of cardiac disease,” including the placement of stents and defibrillator, the suit said.
During his hospitalization, he was ultimately diagnosed “with a heart [infarction] that may require a heart transplant, pneumonia, and he suffered three seizures during his stay.”
However, his treatment was delayed because hospital staffers didn't believe he was part of the famed Four Tops group.
Aftercheck-in, a nurse, a white security guard and a white male emergency room doctor “racially profiled him” and “wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill when he revealed his identity as a celebrity figure,” the complaint says.
He was told he'd get a psychological evaluation “because they did not believe he was a singer or member of the Four Tops.”
Hospital staff members decided to remove Morris from oxygen and pursued a psychiatric evaluation instead of considering his ' symptoms and significant medical history, the filing says.
The suit says a security guard was instructed to ensure Morris was placed in a restraining jacket and that his belongings were removed.
Morris asked whether he could prove his identity by showing his identification card, and the white male security guard ordered him to “sit his Black ass down,” the complaint says. Despite the comment, none of the nursing staffers intervened to stop the racial discrimination, the filing says.
The suit says Morris was ignored when he told staff members he was struggling to breathe and requested the oxygen back. It also alleges he was ignored when he asked for the restraint device to be removed and to get his belongings back so he could seek treatment at another hospital.
“He was told he was not free to leave; thus, he was falsely imprisoned and deprived of his personal property. During this time his medical condition continuously declined and he was denied the medical treatment he desperately needed,” the suit says.
Morris’ wife went to the nursing station to collect his belongings and saw what was happening, according to the filing.
She informed one of the security officers that he actually was a member of the Four Tops, the complaint says. A nurse went to Morris’ side, and he asked to show the nurse a video of him performing at the Grammys, it says. It was then that the nurse realized he actually was a member of Four Tops and informed the emergency room doctor, according to the filing. When the doctor returned, he said he was canceling the psychological evaluation, it says.
The restraint jacket was finally removed, and Morris was placed back on oxygen after being restrained for “approximately an hour and a half or 90 minutes,” the complaint says.
Morris was offered a $25 gift card to Meijer as an apology, which he refused, it says.
The ordeal delayed Morris’ treatment despite his severe condition and caused him “severe mental and psychological suffering,” the suit says.
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 at a jury trial.
“I see all of these posts on social media like ‘driving while black,’ ‘walking while black,’ but I never imagined I would become a victim of ‘being sick while Black,’” Morris said in his statement. “I filed the lawsuit to hold the hospital accountable for the way I was treated and to protect the younger generations from racism in healthcare.”
An Ascension Hospital spokesperson said Tuesday: “We do not condone racial discrimination of any kind. We will not comment on pending litigation.”
“The health, safety and well-being of our patients, associates and community members remains our top priority. We remain committed to honoring human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all persons and the community,” the spokesperson added.
Marlene Lenthang
Breaking News Reporter
