Alexander Morris, a member of the legendary group Four Tops since 2019, is suing a Michigan hospital and two staff members.
Morris (second from left) is seen performing in 2022 alongside Lawrence Payton Jr. (left), Ronnie McNeir (2nd from right) and original member Abdul “Duke” Fakir (right).
Morris said hospital staffers didn’t believe him when he told them he was a member of the Four Tops. He said they removed his oxygen, put him in a restraint jacket and ordered a psych evaluation.
In April 2023, Morris arrived at Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital’s emergency room complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath, according to The Wrap.
Morris was placed on oxygen because he had a history of heart disease.
Morris said he told a nurse and security guard that he was a member of the Four Tops. He had security concerns due to stalkers and fans.
But the security guard told Morris to “sit his Black ass down,” according to the lawsuit. He said a doctor didn’t believe he was a member of the legendary Four Tops.
His oxygen was removed and he was placed in a restraint jacket. A doctor ordered a psychological evaluation, The Wrap reported.
His wife arrived to the ER and confirmed that he was a member of the Four Tops. But staffers kept him in restraints.
After Morris’s wife showed a nurse a video of him performing at the Grammys, the nurse informed the doctor, who canceled the psych evaluation.
Morris’s restraint jacket was removed and he was placed back on oxygen. The hospital offered Morris a $25 gift card, which he declined.
He was later diagnosed with a heart attack and pneumonia. He also had three seizures while at the hospital.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants and Fishman “wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill when he revealed his identity as a celebrity figure.”
Morris alleges that he was “racially profiled” “based upon a perceived disability” by nurse Holly Jackson, security guard Greg Ciesielski and ER doctor Brandon Harris Fishman.
The Four Tops’ hit song “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” became their second song to be inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame.
