Michigan suburb to pay $3.25 million after woman was mistakenly declared dead

Southfield has agreed to pay $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit over the 2020 case in which 20-year-old Timesha Beauchamp was pronounced dead, later found alive at a funeral home, and died weeks afterward.

Southfield, a Detroit suburb, has agreed to pay $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit arising from a 2020 medical incident. The case involved Timesha Beauchamp, who was pronounced dead by an emergency physician after paramedics responded to a breathing emergency. Her body was taken to a funeral home where an employee found her breathing; she was later taken to a hospital and died weeks afterward. Southfield said the events occurred amid the difficult circumstances of the global pandemic. Key facts: - In August 2020, Timesha Beauchamp, 20, experienced breathing problems and her family called 911. - Paramedics were unable to revive her and an emergency department physician, contacted by phone, pronounced her dead based on information provided by responders. - A funeral home worker later found Beauchamp breathing and with her eyes open; she was taken to a hospital and placed on a ventilator. - Beauchamp suffered severe brain damage attributed to lack of oxygen and died about eight weeks later; the city agreed to a $3.25 million settlement to resolve the family's lawsuit. Summary: The settlement resolves years of litigation over the mistaken declaration of death and the events that followed. Undetermined at this time.