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.