Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health will pay an undisclosed amount to settle a lawsuit with parents of a burn victim from an apartment fire, The Oregonian reported June 4.
The parents of the victim sued Legacy Health after an emergency technician at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center took photographs of their son's severely burned body and distributed them to at least two other individuals. The victim had been taken to the hospital after being injured in a fire on July 4, 2021; he died shortly afterward from his injuries.
The lawsuit accused the employee and the hospital of invading the privacy of their son and their family. It also claimed the hospital was negligent in supervising and properly training its employees to avoid taking unauthorized photos of deceased patients.
The emergency technician resigned in December 2021.
Legacy Health spokesperson Vicki Guinn declined comment to The Oregonian on the case.
The lawsuit aimed to obtain punitive damages from the hospital and any employee involved in distributing the photos, according to the report.