Settlement Reached in Remaining Washington Intubation Case

The City of Bellingham has settled the last remaining claims of the family members of the man whose body was used to practice intubation skills in a city firehouse. The cases date back to July 31, 2018, when the body of Bradley Ginn Sr. was left at a Bellingham fire station awaiting pickup to be delivered to a funeral home. Personnel used his body to practice endotracheal intubation skills.

Claims totaling $15.5 Million were filed by Ginn’s family members, including by his wife Jai, his son Bradley Jr., his daughter Aurieona, and his brother Robert Fox. Jai and Robert ended up filing suits against the city, eleven firefighters, and Whatcom County’s medical program director. The suits alleged “tortious interference with a corpse” as well as various due process claims.

Jai Ginn’s suit was settled for $175,000. The claims of Bradley Jr. and Aurieona were settled for $75,000 each. The remaining suit by Robert Fox was challenged on grounds that as his brother, he lacked standing to sue for “tortious interference with a corpse”. The Washington Supreme Court ruled in Fox’s favor, leading to a trial on the merits.

While the trial was underway, Fox reached a settlement with the city for $175,000. More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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