Mental Health

Michigan Hospital Settles Race Lawsuit

By Jennifer Broderick | Update Date: Feb 23, 2013 02:43 PM EST

A Michigan hospital, the Hurley Medical Center, has settled a lawsuit that accused it of agreeing to a swastika-tattooed man's request that no black nurses care for his newborn baby.

Hurley Medical Center and four nurses who sued said Friday the lawsuit was "amicably resolved." The Flint hospital said the conduct is not permissible by its hospital policies and that it "fundamentally opposes" racial discrimination.

'[She] was shocked, offended and in disbelief that she was so egregiously discriminated against based on her race and re-assigned,' the court documents stated.

The lawsuit was filed by nurse Tonya Battle, who alleged a note was posted on an assignment clipboard reading, "No African American nurse to take care of baby." According to the Associated Press, Battle said it was later removed, but that black nurses weren't assigned to the baby's care.

In the second lawsuit, Carlotta Armstrong, who according to her attorney is a veteran nurse like Battle, suffered among other things "extreme emotional distress and mental anguish," the Detroit Free Press reports.

'African American nurses [like Battle] were not assigned to the baby for approximately the next month because of their race,' Battle's lawsuit stated.

Battle's husband, Richard, earlier today told the Free Press that the Battles and attorneys and hospital officials had met for 14 and a half hours Thursday to flesh out the details of the settlement, the details of which he said he could not disclose.

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