BATON ROUGE — A daughter is suing end of life medical service providers, alleging disability discrimination.
Katrina Rivers Labouliere of Gonzales, Louisiana, individually and on behalf of the estate of Katherine Smith, filed a complaint Feb. 8 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against AMP Holdings of Lafayette LLC, AMP of Lafayette LLC and Heart of Hospice LLC, alleging violation of the Rehabilitation Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
According to the complaint, Smith, a deaf individual, was a patient receiving treatment and care from Heart of Hospice. As a result of the defendants' wrongful discrimination in failing to provide speech interpreters, the suit says, she was caused to experience fear, anxiety, indignity, humiliation, and panic attacks.
The lawsuit states Labouliere was traumatized by having to interpret for her dying mother, and suffered injury for the loss of her mother, nightmares, depression, inability to work as a sign language interpreter and inability to enter medical facilities.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to provide the necessary interpretation services and failed to ensure effective communication in a medical setting.
Labouliere seeks trial by jury, compensatory damages, plus interest, court costs, attorney fees and all other appropriate relief. She is represented by attorneys Andrew D. Bizer, Garret S. DeReus and Marc P. Florman of Bizer & DeReus in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana Case number 3:17-cv-00072