# 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:** 2
**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, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/21 "2005-02-13T20:19:18Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > 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. Slightly worse… she was _led away_ (presumably by a nurse or, as was the case in my family, a security officer) to calm her down, and it was at that point that her son went into the room and realised it wasn’t his father. You know, I just realised that I probably shouldn’t be participating in this thread, as I’m extremely biased and would happily pay the lawyer’s fees for this family if it meant a possibility of Caritas acknowledging that they’re staffed primarily by a bunch of fuckups who couldn’t give a shit about patients or families. ---
**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, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/22 "2005-02-13T20:34:46Z")
> [@threemae](#): > > What did this hospital do to contribute to your grandmother’s death? I sent an email to your listed account. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/23 "2005-02-13T22:12:00Z")
Maybe she was so distraught when she found out her husband was still alive and she didn’t really have the life insurance money to move to Bermuda with her boyfriend that she had heart palpitations. I think someone should pay for that. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/24 "2005-02-13T22:41:30Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Presumably the corpse was covered by a sheet or something. Possibly not – at my hospital we get the corpse looking presentable for the family to come in and say goodbye before we bag 'em and take 'em to the mortuary. At no point do they get covered by a sheet. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/25 "2005-02-13T23:25:27Z")
Sometimes there are advantages to [not covering up the body with a sheet](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6875358/) right away. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/26 "2005-02-14T00:25:30Z")
Obviously, the evil Caritas Hospital staff need to be punished…so lets calculate what might be appropriate: -for mis-identifying the corpse (as the woman’s husband): $500,000 -for failing to offer the woman counseling (when she learned of the mistake):$1.5 million -for failing to cover the mis-identified corpse: $500,000 There…that should cover this! Anybody have a better idea? With $1.5million, she can affod to retire to Bermuda! ---
**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 14, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/27 "2005-02-14T00:34:43Z")
I notice, **Ralph** , that you don’t have the guts or the integrity to either support or retract your assertion that the lawyers on the SDMB “insist that ‘frivolous’ lawsuits don’t exist.” Moron. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/28 "2005-02-14T00:44:26Z")
If you are so stupid that you haven’t noticed all of the previous threads, then YOU ar truly a moron! ---
**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 14, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/29 "2005-02-14T00:47:37Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > If you are so stupid that you haven’t noticed all of the previous threads, then YOU ar truly a moron! Well, if there are so many, and if you are as aware of them as you would have us believe, then surely you can point me to _one single instance_ where _any_ SDMB lawyer has said that “frivolous lawsuits don’t exist.” Can you do that? ---
**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 14, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/30 "2005-02-14T00:51:17Z")
Hey Ralph: Once mhendo’s done donkeypunching you, would you mind pointing out where the fuck it says in the nonexistant article you didn’t link that the woman’s actually filed a lawsuit? Also, 1.5m + 500k + 500k = 2.5m, idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/31 "2005-02-14T01:23:31Z")
Don’t mind the moron – he has a hard on against lawyers to such a degree that he can not control the drivel that emerges from his keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/32 "2005-02-14T02:50:08Z")
> [@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. What? Not Sue? Are you unxxxxxx or something. Congratulations! You are not like the woman who claimed she didn’t know the coffee was hot. Why of course. Tort lawyers don’t bring frivolous suits, they are dead serious…about collecting the 50% contingencey. What else? ---
**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 14, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/33 "2005-02-14T03:00:36Z")
> [@black455](#): > > Hey Ralph: > > Once mhendo’s done donkeypunching you, would you mind pointing out where the fuck it says in the nonexistant article you didn’t link that the woman’s actually filed a lawsuit? > > Also, 1.5m + 500k + 500k = 2.5m, idiot. It doesn’t say she filed a lawsuit-but she’s planning on it: > [@](#): > > The McKennas have hired attorney Mark Stopa and plan to file a lawsuit against the hospital for the distress that was inflicted on them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/34 "2005-02-14T07:11:46Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > What? Not Sue? Are you unxxxxxx or something. Congratulations! > You are not like the woman who claimed she didn’t know the coffee was hot. **Spingears** - you know- if you bring up the “mcDonalds/Hot coffee” lawsuit as 'frivolous", you need to do a little research 1st. [http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm](http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm) The “Mc Donalds Hot coffee lawsuit” is a perfect example of a suit that sounds frivolous on the surface, but isn’t after some digging. **ralph124c** - “when get judgement, come back” :rolleyes: 😛 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/35 "2005-02-14T09:30:31Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I get a good laugh from all the lawyers on the SDMB, who insist that “frivolous” lawsuits don’t exist. Still waiting for a cite on that. I’ve noticed that you have posted several times since your OP, but have not included a link to a single instance of anyone saying that, despite being asked several times. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/36 "2005-02-14T09:47:14Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > HOW did we get from misplaced corpse to firing woman CEO of HP??? It’s the hysteria over a few, usually apocraphyl, court cases when there is so much more to get outraged about. Perhaps a bit of a tangent, I admit. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/37 "2005-02-14T11:27:20Z")
Shagnasty writes: \> Maybe she was so distraught when she found out her husband was still alive \> and she didn’t really have the life insurance money to move to Bermuda with \> her boyfriend that she had heart palpitations. Yes, like most blind 78-year-old women, she doubtlessly has a hunky young boyfriend who wants to run away with her to Bermuda. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/38 "2005-02-14T12:16:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > **Spingears** - you know- if you bring up the “mcDonalds/Hot coffee” lawsuit as 'frivolous", you need to do a little research 1st. > [http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm](http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm) > > The “Mc Donalds Hot coffee lawsuit” is a perfect example of a suit that sounds frivolous on the surface, but isn’t after some digging. > > **ralph124c** - “when get judgement, come back” > :rolleyes: 😛 From that site: > [@](#): > > McFact No. 2: McDonald’s knew its coffee sometimes caused serious injuries - more than 700 incidents of scalding coffee burns in the past decade have been settled by the Corporation - and yet they never so much as consulted a burn expert regarding the issue. > [@](#): > > (The equivalent of just two days of coffee sales, McDonalds Corporation generates revenues in excess of 1.3 million dollars daily from the sale of its coffee, selling 1 billion cups each year.) Obviously there are more people who have spilled coffee on themselves than the 700 Mcratburger settled, but still 700 in 10 Billion (that’s **10 Billion** in case you missed it over the span of a decade) cups of coffee? Obviously, most people realize that hot coffee is HOT and not dump it in their lap! Should someone be compensated because they are a klutz and spill things on themselves, or did some employee dump the HOT coffee on the old lady (Could the fact that she was an old lady have factored into the decision?)? Also, maybe one of the reasons that McDonalds sells 10 Billion cups of coffee in a year is because it is HOT and will stay that way longer than the competition? Dunno, I don’t drink coffee, but if I did I’d try not to spray myself with it. McDonalds should put up a sign above their coffee pot, “Our coffee is hot, please do not bath in it”. Sorry, you’re link doesn’t change the fact that this was a goofy decision, IMNSHO. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/39 "2005-02-14T14:30:03Z")
> [@Silentgoldfish](#): > > Possibly not – at my hospital we get the corpse looking presentable for the family to come in and say goodbye before we bag 'em and take 'em to the mortuary. At no point do they get covered by a sheet. I would second that–although we do place a sheet, half-folded over the toes up to mid-waist. Never is the face covered. I can almost wrap my head around the woman having nightmares–but why would the man? He is not dead, afterall. I can understand him being upset that his wife had a scare, but why nightmares for him? Are these people into drama? Are they excitable? I don’t get it. If I had been told that someone else (dead) was mistaken for me–I’d be tempted to quote Samuel Clemens, but that’s just me. IMO, none of this should end up in court. If she pursues it, the hospital will most likely settle out of court. I don’t think this warrants even a settlement–an apology, most definetly, but not a cash settlement… ---
**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 14, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878/40 "2005-02-14T14:50:55Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Still waiting for a cite on that. I’ve noticed that you have posted several times since your OP, but have not included a link to a single instance of anyone saying that, despite being asked several times. I think you’ll be waiting a while. I’ve noticed in the past that **ralph** is often rather uninterested in any long-term participation in the threads he starts, especially when anyone points out any of his errors or inconsistencies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hospital-makes-mstake-wife-sues/289878.md?page=3)