The family of a woman found dead in a San Francisco General Hospital stairwell last year is now looking to sue the city and county.
Lynne Spalding's lawyer filed a legal claim Tuesday, seeking damages of at least $25,000 -- such claims often result in lawsuits that land in court.
The 57-year-old Spalding was admitted to the hospital in September with a bladder infection. Nearly three weeks after disappearing from her bed, her body was found in an outdoor stairwell.
Her family is seeking an unspecified amount of money from the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, who provides security at the hospital.
San Francisco's sheriff has acknowledged that after Spalding was reported missing on Sept. 21, deputies never searched the stairwell where an engineer eventually found her body.
Spalding's case prompted reforms at the hospital to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The hospital reforms include equipping stairwell doors with alarms that can only be shut off with a key and arranging for sheriff's deputies who provide security at the hospital to search the stairwells every day.
The lawsuit also names the city-run hospital, citing medical malpractice.
