Four Tops singer sues Michigan hospital for racial discrimination, says they didn’t believe his identity

(CBS DETROIT) – The lead singer of Motown’s legendary Four Tops sued a Michigan hospital for racial discrimination, claiming he was treated as if he were mentally ill and restrained after telling staff he was part of the group.

Alexander Morris, 53, went to Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren for medical treatment on April 7, 2023, for medical treatment, according to the lawsuit.

The singer was taken by ambulance to the emergency room after experiencing difficulty breathing and chest and receiving oxygen. Morris has a history of heart disease, including stents and a defibrillator.

He told a nurse and a security guard that he was a member of the Four Tops and was worried about stalkers and fans, the suit says. However, the workers didn’t believe him and a doctor requested a psychological evaluation and placed him in a containment jacket and removed his oxygen and his belongings.

When Morris offered to show his identification to prove he was the singer, the security guard told him to “sit your Black** down,” according to the lawsuit.

The singer told hospital staff he was having trouble breathing and asked for oxygen back, but they allegedly ignored him. After that, he asked to remove his protective jacket and his belongings so he could receive treatment at another hospital, but was told he could not leave. Several security guards surrounded the area to ensure he could not go, and during this time he had not yet received treatment for his heart condition.

The hospital and nurse “blatantly refused to provide Plaintiff with medical treatment due to his race and/or perceived mental disability,” the lawsuit says. “Instead, Plaintiff was deliberately misdiagnosed and received a lower standard of medical care based on his race, which amounted to racial discrimination and delayed his actual diagnosis.”

The singer’s wife later arrived at the hospital and Morris told her that workers thought he was delirious. She told a security guard that he was in fact a member of the Motown group, but the lawsuit says he did nothing.

Afterwards, a nurse arrived and Morris asked if he could show her a video of him performing at the Grammy Awards.

“The nurse realized that Plaintiff was a member of the Four Tops, and the nurse went to find the emergency room doctor to inform him,” the lawsuit said. “The emergency room doctor came back and said he was canceling the psychological evaluation.”

By then, the lawsuit alleges that Morris had been restrained for about 90 minutes. He was offered a $25 Meijer “as an apology for the dehumanization and discrimination he faced at the hands of the hospital”, and Morris refused to accept it.

After the incident at the hospital, a security guard who worked at the hospital told him that the guard who was in contact with Morris and restrained him had made racist comments to his co-workers and had “often” used excessive force with hospital patients.

This security guard also witnessed other hospital employees tampering with evidence relating to an internal incident report that was filed and said he believed the account of a racial slur used was removed from the report.

The lawsuit alleges that employees were told not to talk about the incident and that the security guard involved was not suspended or disciplined. The lawsuit names the hospital, nurse and security guard. He is seeking more than $75,000 in damages and a jury trial.

“The health, safety and well-being of our patients, associates and community members continues to be our top priority,” an Ascension hospital spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain committed to honoring human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all people and the community. We do not tolerate racial discrimination of any kind. We will not comment on pending litigation.”

Last year, Morris announced that planned to take legal action in the weeks after the incident, but the lawsuit was officially filed on Monday.