A lawsuit filed on December 16, 2025, in Michigan, accuses a Detroit hospital of a major medical error: misplacing a portion of a patient’s skull after brain surgery and later attempting to apologize with a $25 gift card, which the family found insulting. You might get more than that for bad service at Applebee’s.
The suit was brought on behalf of Edna Burton, a longtime hospital employee. The ordeal began in June 2023, when Edna suffered a stroke and was rushed to Ascension St. John. To save her life, surgeons performed a hemicraniectomy, a standard but high-stakes procedure where a portion of the skull is removed to allow the brain to swell without being crushed against the bone.
