Brittany Watts, a woman from Ohio, has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Warren, local law enforcement officers, St. Joseph Warren Hospital, and its owners after she was criminally charged with abuse of a corpse following a miscarriage.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division on January 10, asserts claims for violations of constitutional rights, medical negligence, and procedural misconduct, as well as breaches of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
Watts, who suffered a miscarriage in September 2023, is seeking redress for her alleged unlawful treatment by law enforcement and medical personnel.
The lawsuit claims violations of her Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, malicious prosecution, false arrest, and medical negligence. Watts also alleges that hospital staff unlawfully disclosed her confidential medical information and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.
The incident stems from an emergency visit to St. Joseph Warren Hospital, where Watts was diagnosed with placental abruption—a dangerous pregnancy complication.
Despite the severity of her condition, she received little to no treatment for several hours and was sent home after being told that her pregnancy was at risk.
Watts later suffered a miscarriage at her home and sought medical care at the hospital again. However, hospital staff contacted law enforcement, falsely reporting that Watts had committed a crime related to the miscarriage.
The lawsuit claims that police officers interrogated Watts for nearly an hour at the hospital, making false promises of leniency and suggesting that she had hidden a living baby.
Autopsy results later confirmed that the fetus had died in utero. Despite the lack of evidence to support the allegations, Watts was charged with abuse of a corpse. A grand jury ultimately declined to indict her, but Watts claims the emotional and reputational harm she endured remains unresolved.
Watts’ legal team, including attorneys from Loevy & Loevy, argues that the wrongful actions of the defendants caused significant emotional distress, pain, and suffering. The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for these damages, citing the profound impact of the events on Watts’ life.
The defendants have yet to file responses to the lawsuit, and the legal proceedings will continue to unfold in the coming months.
