From the Associated Press: The patient in Room 373 refuses to leave.
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare earlier this month sued the patient, saying she has refused to depart her hospital room since being discharged last October. The hospital also has asked a state judge in Tallahassee for an injunction ordering the patient to vacate the hospital room and authorizing the county sheriff’s office to assist if necessary.
The hospital said that resources have been diverted from helping other patients because of her occupation of the room.
“Defendant’s continued occupancy prevents use of the bed for patients needing acute care,” the hospital said in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was admitted to the hospital for medical treatment and a formal discharge order was issued Oct. 6 after it was determined that she no longer needed acute care services. The hospital has repeatedly made efforts to coordinate her departure with family members and offered transportation to obtain necessary identification, the lawsuit said.
Details are unclear on how the woman has managed to stay in the hospital for over five months, what she had been treated for, or what type of identification is needed.
A virtual court hearing is scheduled for March 30.
In a separate report, the Daily Mail identified the woman as Charlotte Paynter, 69 who was admitted to the hospital for an undisclosed condition sometime last year, and was issued a formal discharge order on October 6.
After she refused ot leave, the hospital provided her with a written order to vacate on November 24. But again, Paynter has stayed put.
The Daily Mail had shared a photo of Paynter from her Facebook page, and that photo has also been shared on social media.
NEW: Patient has been squatting in a Florida hospital for five months and refuses to leave her bed despite being discharged, a lawsuit alleges
Charlotte Paynter, 69, has allegedly been occupying Room 373 at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital since October
Paynter has allegedly… pic.twitter.com/aMPANTgAs1
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) March 19, 2026
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