# Hospital makes mstake, Wife Sues!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 13, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878 "2005-02-13T16:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/1 "2005-02-13T16:04:25Z")
I get a good laugh from all the lawyers on the SDMB, who insist that “frivolous” lawsuits don’t exist. So, here’s one for ya: -yesterday, at NORWOOD CARITAS HOSPITAL (Norwood, MA), a wife came to visit her ailing husband (79 years old, suffering from diabetes, heart trouble,old age, etc.) She was directed to the wrong room, whose occupant had expired. She threw herslf on the corpse, crying and sobbing…only to be informed that a mistake had been made! her husband, quite alive, was recovering in the adjacent room! The woman has announced her intention to sue the hospital, for unspecified damages!! Stupid bitch. Yes nurse are human, they make mistakes…how is sueing a hospital going to help you! This kind of stuff really renews my faith in humanity!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/2 "2005-02-13T16:21:30Z")
Well, i’ve started [my own thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=301411) recently dealing with the topic of lawsuits and ridiculous payouts. What i’m interested in, though, is that you provide us with a _single_ example of “all the lawyers on the SDMB, who insist that ‘frivolous’ lawsuits don’t exist.” I don’t recall ever hearing an SDMB lawyer making this claim. What the opponents of current attempts at tort “reform” prefer to point out is that the cure proposed by the “reformers” will actually be worse than the disease, and will remove one of our system’s necessary remedies for negligent or malicious behavior. Furthermore, it will most likely be most detrimental to people who can least afford to be without the its remedies, and will prove a boon to large corporations and insurance companies at the expense of individuals who are the victims of their excesses. Are there frivolous lawsuits? Sure. Are there lawyers who are more interested in lining their own pockets than in any sort of real justice or fairness or reasonable behavior? Sure. But current tort reform proposals will not cure these ills, because they do very little, for example, to prevent all the frivolous lawsuits that companies currently conduct against one another. And, in their alleged attempt to stop frivolous lawsuits, these measures would also stand in the way of many entirely serious and justified lawsuits, and the penalties those lawsuits mete out for malicious or negligent behavior. You might find lawyer-bashing fun, but your OP demonstrates little more than an inability to understand the issues in any depth whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/3 "2005-02-13T16:21:51Z")
Anyone can file a lawsuit for anything. Usually you don’t hear any “followup” in the news on cases like this because they are laughed out of court. Come back here with a frivolous suit that actually made it to trial, or actually ended up with the jury finding the other party liable for damages. Then I might pay attention. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/4 "2005-02-13T16:39:32Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > Anyone can file a lawsuit for anything. Usually you don’t hear any “followup” in the news on cases like this because they are laughed out of court. > > Come back here with a frivolous suit that actually made it to trial, or actually ended up with the jury finding the other party liable for damages. Then I might pay attention. You may also note that the lady in the OP hasn’t actually filed yet. So ralph’s example isn’t even a real lawsuit yet. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/5 "2005-02-13T16:51:03Z")
She didn’t notice that the corpse wasn’t her husband? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/6 "2005-02-13T17:17:32Z")
I got one for you. Woman take over company, does a merger that many people counsel her is unwise, company loses tons of money, she is fired and walks away with $20M severance. Where is the conservative outrage over that? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/7 "2005-02-13T17:18:46Z")
Well, it would have most certainly been an emotional thing to see a corpse who you think is your spouse. Upon discovering the mistake, my first reaction (I hope) would be of unmitigated joy. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/8 "2005-02-13T17:38:02Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I got one for you. Woman take over company, does a merger that many people counsel her is unwise, company loses tons of money, she is fired and walks away with $20M severance. Where is the conservative outrage over that? Wow, that’s the oversimplification of the fucking century. I’d have to say that’s one of the lamest examples of…really anything here on the SDMB. THis is about lawsuits and tort reform, where do you figure Carly Fiorini fits in? Aside from that, she has a contracted amount of money due her in the event that her business relationship is severed, and it has nothing at all to do with partisanship. Sam ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/9 "2005-02-13T17:42:28Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I get a good laugh from all the lawyers on the SDMB, who insist that “frivolous” lawsuits don’t exist. Did they say this? I don’t recall that any of the SDMB legal eagles made the assertion that there were absolutely “no” frivolous lawsuits. Do you have cite for this? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/10 "2005-02-13T17:42:57Z")
Not to mention that HP has been profitable for the last 3 FY’s. Declining profitability, yes, but still profitable. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/11 "2005-02-13T17:45:21Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Well, it would have most certainly been an emotional thing to see a corpse who you think is your spouse. Upon discovering the mistake, my first reaction (I hope) would be of unmitigated joy. According to the news last night, the women in question is blind. She cried and cradled the corpse a bit before someone else (her son, maybe?) pointed out it was the wrong man. Both of them say they are suffering nightmares, and want compensation for that distress. I can see being upset in the circumstances, but I really think they should be able to take the apology and move on. Referring a visitor to the wrong room is hardly the same thing as ‘medical mistakes’ that do end up in trials. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/12 "2005-02-13T17:58:49Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Not to mention that HP has been profitable for the last 3 FY’s. Declining profitability, yes, but still profitable. I almost mentioned this, but I figured it would be lost on the poster. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/13 "2005-02-13T18:00:02Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > She didn’t notice that the corpse wasn’t her husband? Presumably the corpse was covered by a sheet or something. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/14 "2005-02-13T18:46:16Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I got one for you. Woman take over company, does a merger that many people counsel her is unwise, company loses tons of money, she is fired and walks away with $20M severance. Where is the conservative outrage over that? What?! A WOMAN was running a company?!! I’M OUTRAGED!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/15 "2005-02-13T19:23:40Z")
HOW did we get from misplaced corpse to firing woman CEO of HP??? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/16 "2005-02-13T19:30:03Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > HOW did we get from misplaced corpse to firing woman CEO of HP??? Probably using the same logic that you apparently used to get from “Some people oppose the current moves for tort reform” to “all the lawyers on the SDMB, who insist that “frivolous” lawsuits don’t exist.” ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/17 "2005-02-13T19:32:59Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > HOW did we get from misplaced corpse to firing woman CEO of HP??? A corpse of a woman is running HP? That’s it. I’m SUEING! ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/18 "2005-02-13T20:01:24Z")
[Link, for anyone interested in the OP rather than female CEOs.](http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=68278) This is the hospital whose practices quite likely contributed to the death of my grandmother, so I have absolutely no sympathy for them whatsoever and (even if it is a frivolous lawsuit) I hope that the McKennas get a shitload of money. Plus I know the head nurse on that unit, and this report doesn’t surprise me at all. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/19 "2005-02-13T20:12:27Z")
Or even worse-what if the corpses’s REAL wife was told that her husband was okay, because they mixed up the two families…and then when she says that’s not my husband…ouch. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/20 "2005-02-13T20:14:46Z")
What did this hospital do to contribute to your grandmother’s death? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878.md?page=2)