Fired Morgue Worker Sued Over 'Graphic, Macabre' Social Media Posts

A New York health system is suing a former employee for posting "graphic, macabre photos and videos" from one of its morgues on her social media accounts.

Northwell Health alleged that Quantaise Sharpton posted the images -- taken at the morgue at Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC) -- to her Instagram and TikTok accounts. Posts allegedly included images of a stillbirth, internal organs, and amputated body parts, according to the complaint, which was filed in Nassau County Supreme Court in New York.

In one post that reportedly contained video of a potentially cancerous specimen from a uterus, Sharpton asked her viewers, "What are some things you guys would like to see?" She also stated on social media that she was "obsessed with autopsies," according to the complaint.

Sharpton has about 20,000 followers on Instagram and 900 followers on TikTok, and uses the hashtag #autopsybae. She worked in the LIJMC morgue for about 45 days before she was fired on March 17 for posting the images and videos.

Management confronted Sharpton as soon as they learned about the videos, and she "expressed no remorse or regret for her conduct," the complaint stated. She said she generated monthly revenue from her Instagram posts, and Northwell alleged the morgue images were an "apparent effort to improve her presence on social media."

Sharpton's supervisors observed her delete the posts that day, as they had requested. However, some of the posts subsequently re-appeared on her social media accounts, according to the complaint.

Management once again contacted Sharpton to take them down, but said in the complaint that their calls went unanswered. They also reached out to the social media platforms to have the posts removed, but those attempts were also unsuccessful.

As of press time, it appears the graphic posts have been removed from Sharpton's Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Northwell Health said in its complaint that it has "robust policies" for employees regarding personal social media pages.

"Protecting Northwell's reputation as a place where patients and their families are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve is of the utmost importance to Northwell," the health system stated in the complaint.

While it can't comment on ongoing litigation, Northwell Health issued the following statement, provided to MedPage Today in an email: "Northwell Health strives to provide the highest level of care to its patients, patients' families, and communities. As this matter is in active litigation, we refrain from commenting regarding this matter."

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