Detroit— The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments next week from two city emergency dispatchers seeking dismissal of lawsuits against them for treating as a prank a 5-year-old’s call about his mother’s collapse from a fatal heart attack.

Robert Turner dialed 911 twice Feb. 20, 2006, and both calls were logged by dispatchers as pranks.

A patrol officer dispatched after the youth’s second call three hours later to chastise him instead discovered Sherill Turner, 46, dead on the floor of her apartment.

Dispatcher Sharon Nichols was found guilty by a jury in 2008 of neglect of duty. Her criminal conviction was believed at that time to have been the first of its kind in the nation. She lost her job and was sentenced to one year of probation, 100 hours of community service and $450 in fines and court costs.

Similar charges were dismissed during the criminal trial against the second dispatcher, Terri Sutton, because although she accused the boy of “playing on the phone,” she sent an officer to his home.

The boy’s relatives sued, alleging wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

I was about to be all “Oh, one year of probation, 100 hours community service (which is about, if it’s 8 hour shifts only two weeks worth of service) and $450 in fines, that’s such a punishment.” Then I saw that the other dispatcher didn’t get even that slap on the wrist.

Now I’m wondering if the first dispatcher was a WOC and the second wasn’t.

Just a sneaking suspicion here.

That said, I think both of them should have been found guilty of some scale of manslaughter/contributory negligence. Like, are you fucking kidding me?

(Source: beatyourselfup, via queernonymoose)