Doctor denies allegations of racism made by Tataskweyak Cree Nation man in 2024 lawsuit

A doctor in northern Manitoba has denied allegations of racism in response to a lawsuit filed by a Cree man who accused the physician of mistaking symptoms of acute appendicitis for a hangover.

The doctor has asked the Court of King's Bench to dismiss the case in a statement of defence filed on March 14 in Winnipeg. 

Justin Flett, 46, a Tataskweyak Cree Nation member, filed a statement of claim on Dec. 19, 2024, claiming the ER doctor in The Pas told him he didn't treat hangovers as he checked Flett's stomach for sharp abdominal pain and nausea in January 2023. 

The Northern Regional Health Authority and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

According to a statement of defence, the doctor said Flett had reported drinking heavily over the previous two days before assessment in hospital, but said he "did not find the patient to be intoxicated."

The doctor denies allegations of racist comments and negligence, asserting the care he provided was appropriate given the results of the examination.

Flett arrived at St. Anthony's General Hospital ER in The Pas on Jan. 15, 2023, and reported feeling unwell, nauseous and dizzy, the statement of defence says.

He was triaged at 7:45 a.m. and was assessed about an hour later by the doctor, who had treated him the day before for a different concern, pain in one of Flett's hands. 

In his statement of defence, the doctor says Flett demonstrated only mild discomfort in the upper right quadrant of his abdomen during palpitations, denied any fever, chills or chest pain, and did not appear in distress or ask for pain medication.

Laboratory results from tests ordered to determine Flett's condition were reassuring, the statement of defence says.

"Based on the plaintiff's clinical presentation, the physical examination, and the lab results, [the doctor] diagnosed the plaintiff with general, non-emergent abdominal pain," the statement of defence says.

The plaintiff told the doctor he was travelling to Winnipeg that day, according to the statement of defence, and the doctor encouraged Flett to follow up with his general practitioner in the city and to go to emergency if his condition worsened. 

In Flett's statement of claim, the plaintiff says he travelled to Winnipeg by bus at about 11:00 a.m. to seek care after he was discharged, as there was nowhere else to go in The Pas for treatment on a Sunday.

'Damages excessive and too remote'

A diagnosis of acute appendicitis was confirmed at Seven Oaks Hospital in Winnipeg around 4 a.m., requiring urgent surgery, according to the plaintiff's statement of claim. Flett's appendix burst before he could be transferred to Grace Hospital for the operation, leading to an infection.

The doctor says he had no further involvement or knowledge of Flett's treatment after he left St. Anthony's General Hospital ER in The Pas, according to the statement of defence, and denies that he breached any fiduciary duty of care to the plaintiff.

"Furthermore the plaintiff has failed to plead sufficient facts to make out the necessary elements of the claim for breach of fiduciary duty," said the statement of defence.

The doctor denies any damages or injuries sustained by Flett were a result of his care, and any injuries or damages the plaintiff sustained were not caused by the doctor or anyone he's responsible to under the law.

The statement of defence says Flett "failed to take appropriate steps to properly mitigate his losses," and says the lawsuit does not meet legal threshold required.

"Such damages as pleaded are excessive and too remote," the statement of defence says, and the lawsuit should be dismissed, with costs.