Derek Smith Law Group PLLC Files Lawsuit Alleging Racial Discrimination and Assault Against Highland Hospital

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rochester, NY — November 3, 2025 — In a landmark civil rights action, J. John Bral, Esq. of the Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC has filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court on behalf of Stage IV cancer patient Mozell Sutherland against Highland Hospital and the University of Rochester Medical Center for race and disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.

According to the complaint, Ms. Sutherland alleges that Highland staff withheld her prescribed pain medication, ignored her pleas for care, and then violently handcuffed and injured her, leaving her physically scarred and emotionally traumatized. The lawsuit alleges a continuous pattern of institutional indifference and racial bias within Rochester’s leading medical network, according to the plaintiff’s claims.

Attorney Bral stated that the lawsuit seeks to hold Highland Hospital accountable for alleged breaches of patient trust and dignity, claiming the institution’s actions were inconsistent with its public commitments to inclusive care. 

Derek Smith Law Group represents employees in discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters nationwide. With offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and Washington, D.C., the firm has secured significant verdicts and settlements in employment and civil rights cases.