The Associated Press
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — A man who says he told his two daughters their mother was dead after a policeman incorrectly identified her as the victim in a Massachusetts house fire has lost his lawsuit against the city where it happened.
The state Appeals Court ruled Thursday the mistaken-identity case wasn’t created by the city of Gloucester. It dismissed Philip Anderson’s claims of emotional distress.
Anderson believed for six days his ex-wife, Susan Anderson, had died in a December 2003 fire caused by a man who lit a firecracker near a dried-out Christmas tree.
A friend of Susan Anderson died in the blaze. She was believed to be Susan Anderson and was cremated.
The error was uncovered when medical equipment on Susan Anderson’s face was removed at a hospital.
The policeman denied identifying the fire victims.