The Michigan Supreme Court voted 4-3 today to deny the appeal of a Detroit 911 dispatcher who was accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress after she questioned a gunshot victim that called for emergency services. The operator apparently asked the injured and distraught woman, Lorraine Hayes, if she was a “mental patient” when Hayes called 911 twice on January 12, 2006 saying she had been shot in the head. Lorraine Hayes’ lawsuit will now go on to trial.
The Court of Appeals stated that the operator, Kimberly Langford, had berated and insulted Hayes during the emergency call. She did, however, dispatch police to the address eventually.
Unfortunately, the police could not find the location and EMS only reached Hayes after she called her son in Minnesota, who called Detroit police for her.
