KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville police, security guards, doctors and a Knoxville hospital failed to give adequate care for and ignored numerous warning signs that a freshly discharged patient was in dire health in February 2023, a newly filed federal lawsuit states.
The family of Lisa L. Edwards, who ended up dying after the encounter, filed the complaint Thursday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Edwards died Feb. 6, 2023, having arrived in the area the night of Feb. 4, 2023, after a flight from Rhode Island.
Attorney Devon Jacob filed the lawsuit on the family's behalf.
Named as defendants are several police personnel including Brandon Wardlaw, Adam Barnett, Timothy Distasio and Danny Dugan; the city of Knoxville; security guards and the Shield & Buckler Security firm; TeamHealth; Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Covenant Health.
The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as a jury trial.
WBIR reached out to the defendants for a response.
The city, KPD and Covenant Health said they wouldn't comment, which is standard after a lawsuit is filed.
After Edwards' death, the Knoxville Police Department conducted an internal review that resulted in the discipline of several officers who ended up getting involved in a call to remove Edwards from Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.
On a flight to Tennessee on Feb. 4, Edwards fell ill and was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital for treatment. She was overweight and suffered numerous health problems including a previous stroke for which she required a wheelchair, the lawsuit states.
Edwards was treated and discharged at Blount Memorial but ended up at Fort Sanders that same night. She'd previously lived in Knoxville and was hoping to move back, family members have said.
She remained at Fort Sanders until the next morning when doctors decided she should be discharged, the lawsuit states.
"Edwards was wheeled to the entrance to the hospital's parking lot along with her belongings and instructed to leave the premises," the lawsuit states.
Edwards didn't want to leave because she said she was still ill and needed treatment. The lawsuit alleges she shouldn't have been discharged. About 2 hours and 20 minutes after she was discharged, Lisa Edwards suffered a cardiac arrest, the lawsuit said.
One of the security guards called KPD to come get her, referring to her as a "trespasser," the lawsuit states.
Several officers and police personnel arrived, talked to her, debated what to do and finally decided to put her in a cruiser and take her to jail. Her family has previously told WBIR the way they treated her was disgraceful, disrespectful and humiliating — rolling her around on the sidewalk, insulting her and telling her they were "done with" her.
She told them she'd had a stroke and was feeling poorly. Edwards had trouble breathing and called out to others around her for help.
"You weren't having these breathing problems earlier when you were out here smoking a cigarette," someone said.
At one point a security guard went back into the hospital and reported that Edwards appeared to be deteriorating and needed help. No help came, however, the lawsuit states.
Edwards was loaded into Distasio's cruiser. He sprayed her with Lysol, the lawsuit states.
To his dismay and anger, she urinated in his cruiser.
"She peed in my car. I ain't doing that. I'm done helping her," Distasio protested to officers at the scene, recordings show.
On the way to the county detention facility, the officer stopped to respond to another incident. When he checked back on her in his cruiser, she appeared pale and unconscious.
Distasio gave her a sternum rub. An ambulance was summoned, and an EMT said she needed chest compressions.
Edwards was taken back to Fort Sanders for treatment. She died Feb. 6, 2023.
An autopsy showed she'd suffered another stroke.
The lawsuit states multiple people and institutions failed Edwards as she slipped into distress.
"As a direct and proximate result of the defendants' conduct, Edwards suffered embarrassment, humiliation, physical and psychological harm, pain and suffering, life-threatening injuries, loss of enjoyment of life and death," the lawsuit alleges.
After an internal review, Wardlaw was demoted from sergeant to his prior police officer rank; Distasio was suspended without pay for 10 days; and Barnett was suspended without pay for four days. Dugan, a transportation officer, was not found in violation of any departmental policies and went back to his job duties.
Within weeks of the incident, Fort Sanders announced that several of the security officers involved were no longer working at the hospital or at any other Covenant Health facility.
The hospital also said last year it was conducting an in-depth review of its hospital security procedures and policies.
