Defendant who says he was pressured by judge to give blood sues company that accepted his donation
An Alabama man says he was pressured into donating blood by a state-court judge during a Sept. 17 hearing. He has sued the blood donation center which was operating out of a bus outside the Perry County Courthouse that day.
Filed Friday in Perry County by attorney Martin Weinberg, the suit says LifeSouth Community Blood Centers Inc. violated its own standards by accepting a donation from the plaintiff that was not voluntary, reports AL.com.
It also alleges that the plaintiff, whose full name is not provided in the news article, saw a LifeSouth worker splash blood from his arm onto nearby uncovered needles and says LifeSouth didn’t follow proper safety procedures. While it isn’t clear whether the uncovered needles were used or unused, they should either have been properly disposed of or not left uncovered prior to use, the suit contends. It says the plaintiff is fearful that a contaminated needle was used for his donation.
LifeSouth declined to comment on a lawsuit, saying that officials there have not yet seen it. But an email from spokesman Gary Kirkland said that “LifeSouth conducted its own review of the blood drive. All donors were properly screened and the blood collected was properly tested. We will not be responding to ongoing litigation.”
Multiple defendants were reportedly offered an opportunity by Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins on Sept. 17 to get a $100 credit against money they owed the court by donating blood. Civil rights groups later protested, but the judge defended the suggestion as a creative way to help individuals pay court fines.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Judge’s fine alternative was ‘violation of bodily integrity,’ ethics complaint alleges”
Updated on Nov. 9 fix a link.
