ST. LOUIS – An Illinois mother is suing Washington University and oxygen-device supplier Lincare after her son died from sleep apnea complications. She claims they failed to provide a timely replacement for her son’s malfunctioning breathing device prior to his death.
Sharon Vernor filed an amended lawsuit on March 7, 2025, against WashU and Lincare over the death of her son, Lequon Vernor. It’s her third legal filing in an ongoing battle that began in August 2022, according to Missouri court records.
Court documents state that Lequon, who died at the age of 27 in September 2020, had Down syndrome and a mental age that left him unable to advocate for himself. He also suffered from severe sleep apnea and relied on a BiPAP machine to breathe for 11-12 hours a day.
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According to the lawsuit, Lequon’s BiPAP machine failed on September 11, 2020, and his mother made multiple attempts to contact WashU and Lincare for assistance. Despite her calls, Lequon went seven days without a functioning machine before he was found dead from medical complications…