Payment received in Hunter settlement
Friends,
Margie Hunter's attorney, Rick Silber, confirms that payment has been received in the settlement of Mrs. Hunter's lawsuit against the District of Columbia for discrimination and medical malpractice in the 1995 death of Tyra Hunter. You will recall that the $1.75 million settlement was announced on August 10. After five long years, the case is now settled and closed.
This is only a partial victory, of course. As Margie Hunter has noted, the emergency room doctor who the jury found to have caused Tyra's death still practices medicine at D.C. General, and the firefighter who withdrew medical care from Tyra at the accident scene was promoted late last year to sergeant. And as the executive summary of Jessica Xavier's recently-completed Washington, DC Transgender Needs Assessment Survey makes clear, the unmet needs and concerns of our transgender citizens remain significant -- including barriers to access for existing services.
So the struggle goes on. In particular, we must monitor the effectiveness of the Fire Department's diversity and sensitivity training, which has been named after Tyra Hunter. GLAA is still waiting for an opportunity to meet with the recently confirmed Fire Chief, Ronnie Few. But this is a good season to give thanks for a mother's courage and persistence, and for the detailed, energetic, and fearless advocacy of her attorneys.
Rick Rosendall
GLAA Public Safety Chair