Deaf Man’s Disability Bias Claims Against Hospital Bounced

A deaf North Carolina man lost his suit against a hospital for failing to provide an in-person American Sign Language interpreter because he didn’t show it intentionally discriminated against him, a federal court said.

Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center’s provision of two malfunctioning devices in place of a live interpreter wasn’t enough to show it was deliberately indifferent to Neil Basta’s communication needs, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina said.

Basta asked for an in-person interpreter when he arrived at the hospital with his wife for the birth of their child. The hospital told Basta ...