On June 3, 2015, the Washington Times covered The Cochran Firm, DC's press conference announcing a $7.7 million wrongful death lawsuit arising from the untimely death of Medric Cecil Mills, Jr. Mills collapsed from a heart attack across the street from a Northeast Washington, DC fire station, but firefighters inside the station refused to provide emergency care to Mills. The Mills family is represented by Karen Evans, partner with The Cochran Firm, DC.
From the Washington Times story covering The Cochran Firm, DC's press conference:
The family of a 77-year-old man who died after DC firefighters refused to provide aid when he collapsed across the street from their fire station has filed a $7.7 million lawsuit against the city in a bid to hold the fire department accountable for a “historic pattern and practice” of substandard emergency care.
The attorney representing the family of Medric Cecil Mills Jr. said she has tried to work with city lawmakers and DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services officials to bring about change in the agency and in the interpretation of a legal precedent that she says prevents them from holding the emergency workers accountable in court.
But with little progress in negotiations over the last year and a half, attorney Karen Evans said the lawsuit is the family’s only option.
“We did not intend or desire to end up on the steps of the courthouse, but this is where the city’s response leaves us,” Ms. Evans said. “The insulation and lack of accountability that permeates DC FEMS has created a culture of carelessness which has eroded the confidence of the city and residents in DC FEMS.”
