Alexander Morris, lead singer of Motown group the Four Tops, is suing a Michigan hospital for racial discrimination, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress on Monday.
In the lawsuit, the artist accused the Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital of putting him in a restraining jacket, removing oxygen, and ordering a psychological evaluation when they didn’t believe he was a member of the Four Tops.
The incident took place on April 7th, 2023 when Morris, who joined the group in 2018, was taken by ambulance to the hospital’s emergency room with chest pain and difficulty breathing. According to the complaint, the staff “wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill when he revealed his identity as a celebrity figure” and shared security concerns about stalkers and fans.
After being instructed to put Morris in restraints, a security guard (who is white) allegedly told the singer to “sit his Black ass down” (via The New York Times). The lawsuit further claims that “none of the nursing staff intervened to stop the racial discrimination and mistreatment” and also took him off oxygen to pursue the psych evaluation.
Morris, 53, has a history of heart problems. According to the lawsuit, he was only able to convince the hospital he was not “delusional” by showing a nurse a video of him performing at a recent Grammys charity event. Only then did the staff cancel the psychiatric evaluation, remove the restraints (after 90 minutes), and place him back on oxygen.
As a further insult, Morris says he was offered a $25 gift card, which he declined. The suit accuses the hospital and two staffers — a nurse and security guard — of negligence, racial discrimination, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Ascension, the nonprofit health system that oversees the hospital, has shared the following statement: “We remain committed to honoring human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all persons and the community. We do not condone racial discrimination of any kind. We will not comment on pending litigation.”