Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Google Maps)
A Nevada mother spent three days believing her son had died after Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center allegedly identified him in an email as a “deceased patient.” According to a lawsuit, the man was alive at the time and remains alive.
“During this three-day period, Ms. Garbowski generally was unable to get out of bed, was paralyzed by grief, and was unable to function in her day-to-day life,” alleges a complaint filed by Marlene Garbowski and obtained by Law&Crime. The lawsuit also says she took a prescription anti-anxiety medication she had never needed before to cope with the distress caused by the hospital’s alleged error.
Garbowski is suing Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas and several employees. She accuses them of negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress, alleging that staff incorrectly labeled her son, Geoffrey, as a “deceased patient.”
Geoffrey had received treatment at Southern Hills in January 2024, the complaint says.
Several months later, Garbowski contacted the hospital to request her son’s medical records for his application for Supplemental Security Income benefits. On Nov. 5, 2024, hospital staff allegedly replied by email that the records could not be released because Geoffrey was listed as “deceased.”
“This statement was false,” the complaint states. “Geoffrey was, and remains, alive.”
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The lawsuit says a hospital complaint manager contacted Garbowski weeks later, acknowledged the mistake and apologized. The manager allegedly described the incident as a “learning tool” for the hospital. Garbowski’s attorneys argue that Southern Hills was responsible for providing her with accurate information.
According to the complaint, the hospital had “a duty to exercise reasonable care in the accuracy of information” it shared with Garbowski. The filing also cites Nevada law requiring hospitals to keep accurate medical records and maintain sufficient qualified staff to ensure patient information is “accurately and promptly communicated.”
Garbowski’s lawyers say the manager’s apology acknowledged the hospital’s error. They further contend that the consequences extended well beyond a simple records mistake.
“As a proximate result of Southern Hills’ negligent conduct described herein, Ms. Garbowski has suffered, and continues to suffer, severe emotional distress with accompanying physical manifestations,” the complaint states. Those alleged effects include being unable to get out of bed for about three days, needing prescription anti-anxiety medication and experiencing continuing psychological harm.
The lawsuit seeks damages for the alleged negligence and emotional distress. Southern Hills did not respond to requests for comment from Law&Crime or the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The post Mother spent three days believing her son was dead after Las Vegas hospital allegedly called him a “deceased patient” in an email first appeared on Law & Crime.