Four Tops singer Alexander Morris is suing a hospital he claimed branded him "delusional" after he told them he was a member of the group.
Alexander Morris of the Four Tops
The 53-year-old musician - who joined the legendary Motown group in 2019 - is taking legal action against Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital in Michigan, who he alleged denied him medical care and instead restrained him for an hour and a half and ordered him to undergo psychiatric evaluation as staff “wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill when he revealed his identity as a celebrity figure.”
Alexander has a history of cardiac disease and explained he was rushed to hospital after experiencing chest pains and difficulty breathing while out on tour, and on arrival to the emergency room, he told staff he had "current security concerns due to stalkers and fans" but then alleged in his complaint that employees didn't believe he was a member of the Four Tops and took him off oxygen, pursuing a psychological evaluation instead.
The singer alleged his requests for oxygen were "ignored" and he was put in a restraining jacket, before denying his request to be released so he could leave and seek treatment elsewhere. He also claimed the white security guard told him to "sit his Black ass down" when he asked if he could show his ID to prove his identity.
Alexander's wife eventually joined him at the hospital, where he told her that “the doctors thought he was delusional.
His spouse confirmed his identity, but staff only believed him when he showed footage of himself performing at the Grammy awards
According to the complaint, at that point, the evaluation was cancelled and the jacket removed, with Alexander - who suffered three seizures that day - then put back on oxygen and ultimately diagnosed with a heart infraction.
His attorneys Maurice Davis and Jasmine Rand said in a statement to People magazine: “When our client presented to the hospital he was racially profiled. The hospital staff and security guard were quicker to assume Mr. Morris was psychotic than successful because he was a Black man.
“Even if he was mentally ill he was still in the middle of a clear medical emergency that necessitated swift medical intervention. The hospital had no excuse to deny him emergency medical treatment.”
The singer claimed he was offered a $25 gift card to a local superstore “as an apology,” but refused the gift.
The hospital, a nurse, and a security guard a listed as defendants but the latter appears to have passed away in September.
A spokesperson for the medical facility told People magazine: "The health, safety and well-being of our patients, associates and community members remains our top priority.
“We remain committed to honouring 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."