LeDuff on Lawsuit: Michigan Seniors Treated Like Bags of Laundry

The Michigan journalist who is filing a lawsuit against Governor Gretchen Whitmer says COVID patients at long-term care facilities in Michigan were treated 'like bags of laundry.' Charlie LeDuff claims Michigan has failed to provide accurate information about the number of coronavirus deaths that have occurred at nursing homes across the state.

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LeDuff spoke with Fox News shortly after filing the suit on Thursday (3/11) saying Michigan's handling of data should be closely scrutinized, much like it has been in New York state. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently come under fire for his state's reporting of COVID-related nursing home deaths as well.

"[Whitmer] has to come clean. She did exactly what Cuomo did except for the fact that we're still co-mingling," he said. "Back at the height of this thing, ambulances were coming in, they were coming out, they were ping-ponging people, they were handling them like bags of laundry."

LeDuff cited national statistics saying that about one-third of COVID deaths nationally are at long-term care facilities. He claims that in Michigan the number closer to 40%.

The Macomb County prosecutor claims that Governor Whitmer could possibly face criminal charges for the state's handling of nursing home deaths. He backs an investigation into the $155,000 payment made to former Michigan Department of Health and Human Services director Robert Gordon upon his departure from the position.

Meanwhile, LeDuff hopes his lawsuit will bring some clarity to the situation.

"The public has a right to know. Above all, the public has a need to know. We shut down the entire economy, we interrupted our children's lives, all in the name of protecting the most vulnerable."