Family Files $100M Lawsuit Over Son’s Hyperbaric Chamber Death Amidst Ongoing Murder Charges

The parents of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper, who tragically died in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber fire in January, have filed a scathing lawsuit seeking over $100 million. The suit, filed recently in Oakland County circuit court, accuses the chamber manufacturer and the alternative medicine clinic of “corporate greed” and “callous indifference to human life” leading to their son’s death.

Thomas Cooper perished on January 31st when a fire erupted inside a hyperbaric chamber at the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, where he was receiving treatment for sleep apnea and ADHD. His mother reportedly attempted to save him, sustaining burns in the process as her son died in front of her.

The lawsuit alleges that James and Juana Cooper were never adequately warned about the serious fire risks associated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Their attorney, James Harrington, stated that the defendants actively encouraged treatment for profit, despite knowing the chambers lacked effective emergency extraction methods. “The Defendants knew with absolute certainty that if a fire occurred in one of its chambers, the patient inside would be burned alive, with zero chance of survival,” the lawsuit claims.

Adding to the legal complexities, several Oxford Center employees are currently facing criminal charges related to Thomas’s death. CEO Tamela Peterson, facility safety manager Jeffrey Mosteller, and primary management assistant Gary Marken are each charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Aleta Moffitt, who was operating the chamber, faces involuntary manslaughter and charges for intentionally placing false information in medical records. All four have pleaded not guilty.

Recent hearings saw a hyperbaric chamber safety expert testify that static electricity likely sparked the fatal blaze, and staff allegedly failed to follow basic safety protocols. The incident has also cast a spotlight on the largely unregulated use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the wellness industry. The FDA only approves the treatment for 13 specific conditions, none of which include those Thomas was being treated for, nor does the agency recognize many of the conditions advertised by the unaccredited Oxford Center.

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