Federal Lawsuit Alleges Aramark Negligence Led to Preventable Death in Chinese Hospital

A federal wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Friedman Schuman Layser PC attorneys alleges that Philadelphia-based Aramark employees ignored 37-year-old U.S. citizen Zachary Graff for more than 15 hours during a medical emergency at Gulou Hospital in Nanjing, China, leading to his preventable death. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, raises serious questions about corporate accountability for international service contracts and patient safety standards.

According to the complaint, Graff visited the hospital clinic on May 7, 2023, to fill a prescription for chronic knee pain. After taking medication around 10:30 a.m., he began staggering through the facility and sat in a chair near an escalator on the hospital's fourth floor, where he remained unresponsive and breathing abnormally for hours. The lawsuit claims that at least 10 Aramark employees saw Graff in clear medical distress but failed to alert medical personnel.

Fifteen hours of security footage reviewed by the family shows Aramark employees walking past Graff repeatedly, cleaning around him and attempting to engage him without recognizing the medical emergency. One security guard told him to stop sleeping on three occasions, while another Aramark employee picked up his phone charger that had fallen to the floor, according to the complaint. The filing alleges the floor was later locked and the lights turned off with Graff still inside.

When Graff's wife arrived around 11 p.m., she had been unable to reach him for hours. Aramark security initially refused her entry, and only granted access after she involved police and they reviewed surveillance video. She found him unconscious and barely alive at approximately 2:15 a.m. Only after pleading with Aramark security guards did they call for medical assistance. Medical personnel arrived at 2:28 a.m. but were unable to resuscitate Graff, who was pronounced dead at 2:48 a.m.

This case highlights significant implications for multinational corporations providing essential services in healthcare settings. The lawsuit alleges systemic neglect originating from Aramark's Philadelphia headquarters, including failures in staffing, training, and oversight. Attorney Brett J. Kaminsky stated, This case is about systemic neglect that starts at Aramark's headquarters, right here in Philadelphia. Aramark failed to ensure adequate staffing, training and oversight, and those failures cost a young man his life.

The complaint alleges negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention by Philadelphia-based Aramark and seeks compensatory damages and a jury trial. The case, initially filed in Pennsylvania state court, was removed to federal court on May 29, 2025. The lawsuit names Philadelphia-based Aramark Corporation and multiple subsidiaries, raising questions about corporate responsibility for international operations and the adequacy of emergency response protocols in contracted healthcare services.

This incident underscores the critical importance of proper training and oversight for service employees working in healthcare environments, particularly when language and cultural barriers may exist. The outcome of this case could establish important precedents for corporate accountability in international service contracts and patient safety standards. The case is Baehmann v. Aramark Corp. et al., No. 2:25-cv-02758, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. To learn more about this case, continue reading here.