Couple sues Boston hospital over loss of baby's body
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts couple whose prematurely born baby girl died less than two weeks after she was delivered has sued one of Boston's most prestigious hospitals for losing the infant's body, denying the parents the opportunity to hold a proper funeral and burial.
The lawsuit filed Thursday says that baby Everleigh's body was inadvertently thrown away by a Brigham and Women's Hospital employee along with soiled linens from the hospital's morgue.
Everleigh's parents, Alana Ross and Daniel McCarthy, “suffered severe emotional distress and anguish, and have suffered physical manifestations and harms as a result of the severe and profound emotional distress inflicted” upon them, according to the suit filed in Suffolk Superior Court.
“It was traumatic enough to lose their daughter, but it was like losing her all over again when she was literally thrown away," the couple's attorney, Greg Henning, said Friday. "They lost her twice.”
The hospital, parent company Mass General Brigham, as well as more than a dozen employees are named as defendants. The suit claims breach of contract, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress; and wrongful interference with human remains. The couple, who live in Sharon, is seeking more than $1.3 million in damages, according to court documents.
The lawsuit alleges that Brigham and Women’s was aware of the “problems with management and conditions” at the morgue even before Everleigh went missing.
Dr. Sunil Eappen, the hospital's chief medical officer, said in a statement that while he cannot comment on the specifics of the case, he sympathizes with the family.
“We continue to express our deepest sympathies and most sincere apologies to the Ross and McCarthy family for their loss and the heartbreaking circumstances...
