Alexander Morris, one of the famed singers of The Four Tops, is making headlines again, but not for hitting high notes. Instead, he's hitting a high note in the court system. This time, the stage is Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital in Warren, Michigan, which Morris is suing for a laundry list of appalling allegations, including racial discrimination, negligence, battery, false imprisonment, and infliction of emotional distress (USA Today).

Morris’ journey to this lawsuit began with difficulty breathing and chest pain—serious enough for anyone, let alone someone with a significant cardiac history, including stints and a defibrillator. When Morris arrived at the emergency room seeking urgent care, he was met with a clinical performance far from professional. Upon declaring his identity as a member of The Four Tops, Morris was removed from oxygen, strapped into a restraining jacket, and subjected to a psychological evaluation (NBC, CBS).

In yet another twist, hospital staff didn't believe Morris' claim of stardom, even though his symptoms screamed cardiac distress. According to the lawsuit, Morris was denied critical treatment while staff conducted a psych evaluation. Perhaps "Reach Out I'll Be There" wasn't playing in the ER that evening (USA Today, Sky).

As if the plot needed thickening, the situation became dire when Morris was diagnosed with a “heart infraction” severe enough to warrant a potential transplant, suffered from pneumonia, and endured three seizures. Somewhere in the world, the legal team for the hospital is busy pulling an all-nighter after waking up to this mess (NBC).

Nurse Holly Jackson and security guard Greg Ciesielski have also made it to the cast list of this dramatic saga. The lawsuit claims that Ciesielski showered Morris with racist comments and excessive force, behavior that would get you fired even from the most lenient soap opera set. To prove his identity and put an end to this farce, Morris had to produce a video of himself performing at the Grammys. Yes, the man who’s sung “I Can't Help Myself” had to belt out video proof to convince the staff to cancel the psych evaluation (NBC, CBS, Sky).

As an added point of interest, Morris was offered a $25 Meijer gift card as an apology for the racial discrimination and mistreatment. It's almost as if the hospital thought it was running a promotional contest rather than handling a case of serious human rights violations. Unsurprisingly, Morris declined the paltry gift card in favor of seeking more than $75,000 in damages and a jury trial (USA Today, NBC, CBS, Sky).

The hospital, standing by the good ol' public relations handbook, opted not to comment on the pending litigation but reaffirmed its commitment to human dignity and the rejection of racial discrimination. The statement might hold more weight had it not come on the heels of such shocking allegations (USA Today, NBC, CBS, Sky).

In the end, this case reads less like a medical emergency and more like a sitcom episode gone wrong. It remains to be seen who the showstopper will be when Morris takes the hospital to the courtroom. Spoiler alert: It’s unlikely the hospital will be nominated for any awards, except maybe for Best Unintentional Comedy.