BATON ROUGE – A deaf individual alleges a Baton Rouge medical facility failed to provide him an interpreter during the majority of his medical stay.
Damian Francois filed a complaint on June 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against Our Lady of the Lake Foundation alleging violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he communicates primarily in American Sign Language and received care from the defendant in April 2017 after he was shot in the spine. He alleges that the staff did not provide him with necessary interpretation services.
As a result of defendant's alleged discriminatory practices, the plaintiff claims did not understand his condition, treatment options, the medications he was taking, the expected cost of the hospitalization and the consequences of his injury.
The plaintiff holds Our Lady of the Lake Foundation responsible because the defendant allegedly refused to provide a sign language interpreter and failed to ensure effective communication with in a medical setting.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks an injunction requiring defendant to comply with a policy prohibiting discrimination, compensatory damages, interest, costs and attorneys’ fees and all other relief that the court finds necessary. He is represented by 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-00393