Hospital Wouldn't Allow Security Guard To Wear Mask: Lawsuit

HAZEL CREST, IL — A former security guard at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest has sued the hospital on grounds they did not allow him to wear a facemask at work as the outbreak of the new coronavirus was being declared a pandemic in early March. The lawsuit, filed earlier this week, was brought on by the Blake Horwitz Law Firm, which has also filed a suit on behalf of a Northwestern Memorial Hospital nurse who they say faced retaliation for speaking out against that hospital's policy forbidding the use of N95 facemasks.

In the suit against Advocate South Suburban, plaintiff Marvell Moody said the hospital had been accepting and treating people who had been diagnosed with the new coronavirus while Moody was on-duty. The suit says that on March 9 Moody had brought his own facemask to wear at work as a way to help prevent contracting the disease and possibly spreading it to his 65-year-old mother who has undergone two lung surgeries in the past year and considered high-risk.

Moody is the caregiver for his mother, the suit states.

One of Moody's supervisors, identified in the lawsuit as James Thomas, "chastised Moody for wearing the facemask while working at the hospital and is alleged to have told Moody that hospital policy prohibits public safety officers from wearing masks while on duty, according to the law firm.

He complained "for the purpose of promoting public health," the lawsuit states.

Moody complained to co-workers about the policy and since March 10 has not returned to work as a result of the policy, language in the lawsuit indicates. He has since been fired, the lawsuit says.

Named in the lawsuit are the hospital, Thomas and "unknown employees."

In a statement to Patch, a spokeswoman for Advocate South Suburban Hospital said the hospital is reviewing the complaint and are "committed to maintaining the safest environment possible for our patients and team members."