ST. LOUIS – An Illinois mother is suing Washington University and oxygen-device supplier Lincare after her son died from sleep apnea complications. She claims they failed to provide a timely replacement for her son’s malfunctioning breathing device prior to his death.
Sharon Vernor filed an amended lawsuit on March 7, 2025, against WashU and Lincare over the death of her son, Lequon Vernor. It’s her third legal filing in an ongoing battle that began in August 2022, according to Missouri court records.
Court documents state that Lequon, who died at the age of 27 in September 2020, had Down syndrome and a mental age that left him unable to advocate for himself. He also suffered from severe sleep apnea and relied on a BiPAP machine to breathe for 11-12 hours a day.
According to the lawsuit, Lequon’s BiPAP machine failed on September 11, 2020, and his mother made multiple attempts to contact WashU and Lincare for assistance. Despite her calls, Lequon went seven days without a functioning machine before he was found dead from medical complications.
The lawsuit accuses both Washington University and Lincare of negligence and failure to provide life-saving medical care.
Court documents state that WashU initially sent a request to Lincare on August 26, 2020, for new breathing equipment and supplies. However, Lincare reportedly responded that additional information was needed before providing a replacement.
On Sept. 11, when Lequon’s machine stopped working, Sharon called both Washington University and Lincare for assistance, according to the lawsuit. WashU did not respond to that call on that day, while a Lincare representative advised her to unplug the machine for 30 minutes and plug it back in.
When that failed, the Lincare representative told Sharon a replacement was needed, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that five days passed before Sharon received a response. On Sept. 17, one registered medical assistant, dismissed from the amended lawsuit – per Missouri court records, contacted Sharon and stated they had not understood Lequon’s name from a voicemail message. It is unclear if any further action was taken from that phone call.
On Sept. 19, Lequon was then pronounced dead. Afterwards, the registered medical assistant apologized and said an investigation would follow, but Sharon never received any further communication.
The lawsuit seeks damages under Illinois’ Wrongful Death Act and Survival Statute, as well as Missouri law for aggravating circumstances. The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $25,000 in Missouri, in addition to potential liabilities for Illinois’ law, according to court documents.
One court hearing, listed as a motion for sanctions, was scheduled for Monday, though the timeline for further proceedings remains unclear, according to online Missouri court records.
FOX 2 has reached out to Washington University, Lincare, and the law firm representing Sharon Vernor for comment. None have replied to our requests for comment as of this story’s publication.