money City of Leawood and two police officers dropped from lawsuit alleging excessive force
The City of Leawood and two of its police officers have been removed from a lawsuit that alleged police used excessive force against a woman seeking treatment at a local hospital.
Muriel Martin, 76, of Kansas City, filed a federal lawsuit on May 19 in the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas. An amended complaint now names Saint Luke’s Health System as the sole defendant.
In May 2021, Martin went to the emergency room at Saint Luke’s community hospital in Leawood, at 13200 State Line Road. She was having “excruciating pain” in her abdomen causing cramping, nausea and vomiting, the lawsuit said.
Martin has an implanted port which delivers medication. Nurses did not have the right needles to access the port so a doctor tried to insert an IV through her jugular vein, the lawsuit said, causing extreme pain.
She “pleaded for an alternative method,” to which the physician allegedly said, “It’s obvious you don’t want to be here, why don’t you leave?”
Martin said she wanted to be treated.
Shortly after, officers with the Leawood Police Department entered her room and escorted her out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Allegations against the officers accusing them of excessive force and discrimination were dropped from the lawsuit after attorneys for Martin reviewed body camera videos, said Capt. Brad Robbins, a spokesman for the police department.
“The lawsuit in its original form included false and damaging statements about the Leawood Police Department and its employees,” said Chief Dale Finger. “We responded immediately to these untrue allegations by bringing forward undisputable evidence proving otherwise.”
The lawsuit lists four counts against Saint Luke’s including racial discrimination and violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. It also says that Martin was a victim of implicit bias against African-Americans and unequal treatment “attributed to enduring racist cultural beliefs and practices.”
Saint Luke’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
