The family of a woman who died at a California hospital is suing the hospital and its parent organization, Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, alleging the hospital misplaced the 31-year-old woman's body, the Chicago Tribune reported Aug. 8.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 7 by the mother and sisters of Jessie Marie Peterson in Superior Court in Sacramento County, alleges that Ms. Peterson was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Calif., on April 6, 2023, after suffering a diabetic episode.
Ms. Peterson's medical records show April 8, 2023, as Ms. Peterson's discharge date, and her family was told that she had been discharged against medical advice, according to the complaint.
"In truth, Jessie had died while in the care of Mercy San Juan," the lawsuit said. "Jessie’s Certificate of Death, not completed until nearly a year after her passing, states that she died from cardiopulmonary arrest at age 31. Because Jessie's death was not reported to family for a year after her death, an autopsy to determine whether medical malpractice played any role in her death was rendered impossible."
The lawsuit further alleges that in April 2024, after Ms. Peterson's family filed a missing persons report with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office and posted on the Department of Justice website for missing persons, law enforcement notified the family that Ms. Peterson had been found deceased at the hospital. They ultimately learned that the body was at a cold storage facility, according to the complaint.
A CommonSpirit spokesperson shared the following statement with Becker's: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time. We are unable to comment on pending litigation."
The family claims negligent handling of the body; negligence for failing to notify the family of Ms. Peterson's death and for failing to issue a certificate of death immediately following her death; and negligent infliction of emotional distress. They seek more than $5 million in actual and statutory damages and $10 million in punitive damages, Marc Greenberg, a partner with Tucker Ellis law firm, who represents the family in the lawsuit, told the Tribune.