A member of the Four Tops is suing a Michigan hospital, claiming he was stopped from receiving treatment for a heart condition and submitted to a psychiatric evaluation after he told hospital staff he was a member of a Motown group.
Alexander Morris filed the lawsuit in Michigan federal court on Monday against Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, Michigan, according to documents obtained by USA Today.
The singer says he was rushed to a hospital emergency room in April 2023 seeking treatment for breathing difficulties and chest pains. He says he was taken off his oxygen machine, put in a straitjacket and given a psychiatric evaluation after he told staff there were safety concerns because he is a member of the Four Tops.
Morris is suing for racial discrimination, negligence, assault, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He is seeking a jury trial and $75,000 in damages.
Morris claims the hospital and staff “falsely assumed he had a mental illness when he revealed his public status” and racially abused him and profiled him because of their perceived disability.
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A spokesperson for Ascension, the private health system that operates Macomb-Oakland Hospital, said in a statement to USA Today on Tuesday that the company “does not comment on pending litigation.”
“The health, safety and well-being of our patients, associates and communities remain our top priority,” the statement read. “We remain committed to respecting human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion toward all people and communities. We do not tolerate racism of any kind.”
According to the lawsuit, Morris was denied treatment despite having “clear symptoms of cardiac problems and a significant medical history.” He was subsequently diagnosed with a “myocardial infarction” (a heart attack that may have required a transplant) and pneumonia, and suffered three strokes during his hospital stay.
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The lawsuit also names two other employees as defendants: Holly Jackson, a white nurse, and Greg Ciesielski, a white security guard.
Morris alleges he failed to intervene or report the incident when Jackson refused treatment and Morris asked if he could show his driver’s license to prove his identity, at which point Ciesielski told him to “sit down your black ass.” Another security guard later told Morris that Ciesielski had made racist remarks before and had used excessive force against patients.
According to the lawsuit, Morris told staff she “was having trouble breathing and asked for her oxygen back, but was ignored.” When she asked to be removed from her restraints and asked for her belongings back so she could go to another hospital, she “was told she could not leave the hospital,” the lawsuit alleges.
According to the lawsuit, hospital staff didn’t believe Morris, despite strong pleas from his wife, who arrived late to the hospital. It was only after Morris showed a nurse a video of his performance at the Grammy Awards that staff were convinced, who then notified the doctor and discontinued the examination. The straitjacket was removed about an hour and a half later, and Morris was put back on oxygen, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Morris was offered a $25 gift card to Meijer grocery stores “as an apology for the inhumane treatment and discrimination he suffered at the hands of the hospital,” but he refused.
Morris is the singer of the Detroit-based four-piece band known for hits such as “I Can’t Help Myself” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Morris is the newest member of the iconic Motown band, having joined the band’s last founding member Abdul “Duke” Fakir in 2019 following the deaths of Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton.
