Brittany Watts, an Ohio woman charged with abuse of a corpse following a miscarriage, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Warren, local police officers, St. Joseph Warren Hospital, and its owners.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division on Jan. 10, alleges violations of her constitutional rights and the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
In her suit, Watts claims that her constitutional rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated, along with improper medical treatment that led to emotional and physical harm.
Watts also accuses law enforcement of malicious prosecution, false arrest, and health care professionals of medical negligence and unauthorized disclosure of her confidential medical information.
The incident began in Sept. 2023 when Watts, who had been diagnosed with placental abruption—a serious pregnancy condition—was sent to St. Joseph Warren Hospital.
Despite her diagnosis, she was reportedly given little meaningful treatment and was sent home the following day after being told her pregnancy was at risk. The next day, Watts suffered a miscarriage at home, and when she sought medical attention, hospital staff involved the police, falsely accusing her of committing a crime.
According to the lawsuit, police officers interrogated Watts at the hospital and later visited her home, suggesting she had hidden a living baby, despite autopsy results confirming that the fetus had died in utero. Watts was initially charged with abuse of a corpse, but a grand jury later declined to indict her. However, the lawsuit emphasizes that the emotional toll and harm caused by the actions of the hospital staff and law enforcement remain unresolved.
Watts’ attorneys are seeking compensatory damages for the mental distress, pain, and suffering caused by the incident, arguing that the defendants’ actions resulted in harm that cannot be erased by the dismissal of criminal charges.
The defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
