On Dec. 20, 2024, Marcellous Demps, a former patient-care provider at Michigan Medicine, was working the night shift when he slipped and fell in a dimly lit, wet hallway while carrying a 150-pound portable scale. He seriously injured his leg in the process, reporting severe pain and an inability to walk.
Following a 40-day paid leave, Demps was still in pain. Work Connections — the University of Michigan’s illness, injury and disability management program that granted his leave — asked for additional paperwork to extend it. But, before he could receive a full medical evaluation and provide the paperwork, he was put on unpaid, unsupported leave, according to documents obtained by The Michigan Daily.
An MRI on March 14, 2025, diagnosed the scope of his injury: a fluid-filled swelling behind his knee and an MCL sprain. In an interview with The Daily, Demps said he was required to return to work April 1, a mere 18 days after the MRI…