A Lyft driver is suing Cincinnati’s Christ Hospital after he says an employee there called 911 and wrongly reported that he had abducted a patient he was hired to drive to Wilmington, Ohio.
The driver, C. William Harper II, ended up being pulled over by Ohio State Highway Patrol during the January 2023 ride. Harper – an ordained minister who the lawsuit describes as a large Black man – was handcuffed and forced to stand in the cold and rain, the lawsuit says, while police verified that he hadn’t abducted anyone.
Here’s what happened, according to the lawsuit:
At about 5 p.m. Jan. 18, 2023, a female social worker at Christ Hospital sought a Lyft ride for a patient.
The request went to Harper, and when Harper arrived at the hospital, he learned that the patient’s destination was Wilmington, about 50 miles away. Because of the distance and the fact that Harper would not likely get a return ride to Cincinnati, making it unprofitable, Harper immediately declined it, the lawsuit says.
The social worker then asked Harper how much additional money he would need to drive the patient to Wilmington, and Harper said $20. According to the lawsuit, she agreed to pay using the online payment system, Cash App.