Motown Singer Sues Michigan Hospital After Being Put in Restraints

A member of the legendary Motown group the Four Tops is suing a Michigan hospital because they didn't believe he was a member of the band.

Alexander Morris joined the Four Tops in 2018. Although the group's original members were in place from the time of its inception in 1953 to 1997, there have since been numerous personnel changes. The Four Tops' original lead singer Levi Stubbs passed away in 2008.

Identity Debacle at a Local Hospital

Alexander Morris filed a lawsuit accusing two employees of Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital of negligence. The singer - who is African American - also accuses the hospital of racial discrimination.

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According to the New York Times, Morris told hospital staff that he was a member of the Motown group the Four Tops, but they did not believe him. The staff "wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill" according to the lawsuit. Staff instructed a security guard to put him in restraints.

The suit also goes on to say that Morris offered to show ID, but the security guard, who is white, told the man to "sit his Black ass down."

Morris says he was taken off oxygen while the hospital made arrangements for a psychiatric examination.

Ascension Hospital Response

In an effort to prove that he indeed was a member of the legendary Motown group, Morris showed a video of himself performing at a Grammys event.

After that, the hospital removed the restraints, canceled the pending psychiatric exam, and placed the singer back on oxygen.

However, the hospital tells the Times that it does not comment on ongoing litigation.

Mr. Morris says the hospital offered him a $25 gift card to a supermarket after the identity debacle was cleared up, but he refused to accept it.