WARREN, MI — The Four Tops’ lead singer said a Detroit-area hospital restrained him and ordered a psychological evaluation after he refused to believe he was a member of the Motown music group.
Alexander Morris, who is Black, filed a lawsuit Monday against Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, alleging racial discrimination and other misconduct over chest pain and breathing problems during a visit in April 2023.
According to the lawsuit, hospital staff “wrongly assumed he was suffering from a mental illness when he disclosed his celebrity status.”
The Four Tops began in the 1950s and had hits including “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and “It’s The Same Old Song.” The group joined Rock. & Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Morris joined the group in 2019, although he was not an original member.
According to the lawsuit, the nurse eventually believed Morris was in the Four Tops and the psychological examination was canceled.
The hospital offered a $25 gift certificate as an apology, but Morris refused, the suit said.
“We are committed to respecting human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all people and communities,” the hospital said in response to the lawsuit. “We do not tolerate racism of any kind. “We will not comment on ongoing litigation,” he said.
Morris said publicly last year that the incident brought him back to his hometown of Detroit and that he “was told I was crazy or schizophrenic.”
