MINNEAPOLIS — A University of Minnesota student who nearly died due to an infection after surgery is suing the school and her place of residence, alleging they breached their contract and were negligent by failing to answer her calls for help.
The woman who brought the lawsuit, 22-year-old Genevieve Lizotte, is suing both the school and her landlord, Radius Apartments/HART Radius LLC, for declining to intervene when she reported to her community advisor (CA) that she was "very ill" and needed help.
According to court documents, the school and Radius Apartments reportedly encouraged students/residents to turn to their CAs when experiencing a medical crisis, as is noted on signs throughout the building, in addition to her leasing contract with Radius.
The lawsuit states that on March 31, 2023, Lizotte had surgery on her knee, and by April 23, she had developed an infection while recovering at home. Lizotte alleged she called the CA on duty around 2:30 a.m., saying she had become ill from the infection and had fallen and not been able to get back up. The lawsuit said Lizotte explicitly told the CA, "I need help," and that she needed water.
The lawsuit goes on to say Lizotte wasn't found until 16 hours later when her family alerted law enforcement. Emergency responders reported they found Lizotte lying on the floor of her bathroom, "unresponsive, having a seizure, barely alive, in a pool of blood, and with a fever of 106 degrees."
She was rushed to the hospital where she was in a coma in the hospital's intensive care unit for a week. Doctors determined Lizotte suffered from sepsis, a condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection.
Lizotte's lawyers said her family was told multiple times she was "so ill, she likely would not live" because the sepsis infection had impacted her heart, lung and brain function.
When asked why the CA hadn't made contact with Lizotte after her call for help, the CA claimed she went to Lizotte's apartment that night and knocked on the door, but left when no one answered. She added she hadn't "heard anything more" after that initial call.
The lawsuit said Lizotte spent the following eight weeks in the hospital, undergoing eight more surgeries to address the infection. Additionally, the suit claims Lizotte has been the target of "aggressive, hostile behavior" by the CA since the incident.
Lizotte is suing for damages for pain and suffering, reimbursement for medical expenses, as well as other losses and punitive damages.
The University of Minnesota told KARE that it does not comment on pending legislation.
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