Rite Aid Sued by Man Detained for Ebola Suspicions

NOVEMBER 02, 2015

Meghan Ross, Associate Editor

A man went into a Rite Aid seeking treatment for diarrhea. Next thing he knew, he was detained at a medical center for 7 hours while he was tested for Ebola.

Ouattara Sana, 43, who is from the Ivory Coast but lives in Hackettstown, New Jersey, maintains that the Ebola tests were “invasive” and performed without his consent.

Sana has since sued Rite Aid, the Warren County Health Department and Sheriff’s Office, Hackettstown First Aid & Rescue Squad, Hackettstown police, and Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, according to Patch.

He is seeking damages for false imprisonment, assault, and discrimination, according to NJ.com.

Sana sought help from a Rite Aid pharmacist in October 2014 for diarrhea. The pharmacist asked where he was from and if he had a fever. Sana responded that he had not been sick in the 5 months he had been living in the United States, and then he left the Rite Aid.

According to Sana, Rite Aid called him back to the store under the pretenses that they found a medication for him. The pharmacy staff took his temperature several times while health officials were called in, Patch reported.

He then spent 7 hours at the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center undergoing tests.

The lawsuit states that Sana’s detention resulted because of discrimination based on his race and nationality. Sana accused the defendants of lacking proper training, NJ.com reported.

The Rite Aid closed for about an hour after Sana left the store, Patch previously reported.

SHARE THIS