Four Tops Singer Sues Hospital For Placing Him In A Straitjacket

(NewsSpace.com) – When celebrities visit a hospital, they often request additional security precautions be taken to avoid fans and stalkers approaching them during a time of distress. That’s what Alexander Morris, a Four Tops singer, did when he went to Michigan’s Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in April 2023. However, instead of accommodating him, the hospital staff took a different approach. Now, the vocalist is suing the facility.

In an interview with TMZ, Morris spoke about his less-than-stellar experience that saw him put in a straitjacket for 90 minutes instead of being treated for the chest pain he presented with. He says he spoke with staff and told them he was famous, but instead of listening to him, the staff determined he was mentally ill and sent him for a psych evaluation. He says he was taken to a security area and asked to give up his phone.

When Morris tried to prove who he was, a security guard told the singer, “Nothing you have, do I want to see, or do I need to see.” Morris then claims he was stripped of his clothing, placed in the straitjacket, and left in the hallway for three hours without medical care. He says he finally convinced a nurse to watch, and that’s when his identity was confirmed. Morris then spent five days in the hospital, during which he says he was diagnosed with a heart condition and pneumonia, and his heart condition may require a transplant.

When they realized their mistake, the hospital staff tried to give Morris a $25 supermarket gift card, but according to his version of the events, he refused. He’s now suing the hospital for $75,000 in damages. He’s accusing two staffers—a security guard and a nurse—of racial discrimination, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and battery.

Morris joined the Four Tops, a Motown group, in 2019. He replaced Harold Bonhart, known as “Spike,” as a vocalist. Bonhart had joined the group in 2011, replacing Theo Peoples. Morris is a minister in addition to singing out some of the band’s top hits.