SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—The Salt Lake City nurse who was violently arrested in July for refusing to let a police officer draw blood
from a patient without a warrant has settled out of court for $500,000—and says she will donate part of the money to the Utah Nurses Association union and to a fund to get legal aid for people trying to obtain body-camera footage from police. Alex Wubbels, head nurse in the University of Utah Hospital’s burn unit, announced the settlement with the city and the university Oct. 31. She had been on duty July 26 when city Detective Jeff Payne came in seeking a blood sample to determine whether an unconscious patient injured in a car accident was intoxicated. When Wubbels told him that she couldn’t legally do that without a warrant or the patient’s consent, Payne chased her down a hall, pushed her up against a wall, and twisted her arms into handcuffs. Video of the incident went viral, and Salt Lake City police fired Payne in September. Wubbels said she would also donate to the American Nurses Association’s End Nurse Abuse campaign, which is trying to stop physical and verbal abuse against nurses.
