SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) -- A high-profile lawsuit has been settled in the case of an Oakland County woman who was found to be still alive inside a body bag at a funeral home in the summer of 2020.
The City of Southfield has agreed to a $3.25 million settlement with the family of Timesha Beauchamp.
On August 23, 2020, Beauchamp — a 20-year-old who had cerebral palsy — was struggling to breathe when her family called 911. Emergency responders tried to save her, but said she didn't have a pulse and was not breathing. The medical team spoke to a doctor, who declared the young woman dead over the phone.
A couple of hours later, as a funeral home employee unzipped the body bag to prepare Beauchamp for embalming, he discovered that her eyes were open, she was gasping for air, and was very much alive.
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Attorney Geoffrey Fieger, back in 2020 described to reporters how close she came: “Had she not opened her eyes, they would have begun draining her blood.”
Beauchamp was taken to a hospital but never recovered, dying eight weeks after what her attorneys called her "nightmare" ordeal.
The lawsuit claimed that precious time was wasted taking Beauchamp to the funeral home rather than the hospital, where she could have been receiving critical medical treatment that may have potentially saved her life.
No criminal charges were filed as investigators said there was no foul play in the incident, and that "all protocols were followed."
In a statement regarding the settlement, the City of Southfield said that “no resolution can undo the profound tragedy that occurred.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.