Woman claims Verizon Wireless caused her to have a heart attack

Angela Hawkins called Verizon Wireless last year to straighten out a problem with her bill. The grandmother of four hoped to talk to a helpful customer service representative. Instead, according to a lawsuit, the rep and her supervisor treated Hawkins rudely and threatened to have her arrested. She claims the supervisor wrongly accused her of threatening to kill everyone in the call centre and caused her to have a heart attack. "I was just blindsided," Hawkins said. "What a horrible thing to accuse someone of." Hawkins sued Verizon Wireless on Wednesday for $2.35 million, claiming both negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Hawkins, 53, of Chesapeake, Virginia, said she called to ask for help with another Verizon Wireless representative's promise of a $60 account credit made several weeks before. During the Nov. 19 call, Hawkins spoke to a female customer service representative for at least 20 minutes. The 4-foot, 10-inch woman said she never raised her voice or threatened the rep because she's "not that type of person." The rep eventually suggested Hawkins speak with her supervisor. Hawkins waited on hold for several minutes, the lawsuit said. When the supervisor came on the line, the lawsuit said, he indicated that Hawkins had threatened his employee and that he was calling the police. Hawkins said she was shocked anyone would say something like that about her. She felt lightheaded and quickly got off the phone and sat on her couch.

She talked to her husband about what happened and checked her blinds several times in anticipation of police cars. Jeffrey Brooke, Hawkins' attorney, said the threat of arrest really shook his client. "She had visions of SWAT guys breaking her door down and putting her in leg shackles," he said. Hawkins said the supervisor called back about two hours later and apologized for the "miscommunication." "That was his word," she said. The supervisor explained he had listened to a recording of the original call and determined she had not threatened anyone, according to Hawkins. She said the supervisor didn't mention the $60 credit, and she didn't press the matter. "I'd already had a horrible experience," she said. "I wasn't going to subject myself to that again." The day after the call, Hawkins went to her doctor. She said an EKG revealed she'd had a heart attack.
Hawkins said her doctor personally drove her to a hospital, where she underwent surgery to place a stent in one of her arteries. She said she spent four days in the hospital. Hawkins said she had high cholesterol but no history of heart problems before the call. "She was in good health," Brooke said, noting that she took a stress test in 2013 and passed. "It was all found to be in good working order." Brooke said the hospital trip cost more than $60,000. Plus, he said, Hawkins will require special medication for the rest of her life at a cost of about $120,000. Hawkins said this is the first lawsuit she's been a party to. "I'm not one who believes in suing," she said. But Hawkins said she's seeking more than her $60 credit. She wants Verizon to realise "the representative did a wrong... a horrible wrong." "It's one thing to say I can't help you," Brooke said. "It's another thing to say I'm calling the police." A spokesman for Verizon Wireless declined to comment on the lawsuit filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court, citing the pending litigation.