Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleges Aramark Negligence Led to American's Preventable Death in Chinese Hospital

A federal wrongful-death lawsuit 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 a hospital in China, resulting in his preventable death. The complaint filed by Friedman Schuman Layser PC attorneys Brett J. Kaminsky and Katherine Lekh claims systemic neglect originating from Aramark's Philadelphia headquarters led to inadequate staffing, training and oversight that cost a young man his life.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, states that at least 10 Aramark employees saw Graff in clear medical distress on May 7, 2023, at Gulou Hospital in Nanjing, where Aramark provided cleaning and security services under contract. According to the complaint, staff cleaned around him, walked past him, talked to him while unresponsive, and ultimately locked him on the fourth floor overnight without alerting medical personnel.

Graff had visited a clinic inside the hospital to fill a prescription for chronic knee pain. After taking the medication around 10:30 a.m., he began staggering through the facility and sat in a chair near an escalator on the fourth floor, where he remained unresponsive and breathing abnormally for hours. Fifteen hours of security footage reviewed by the family shows Aramark employees walking past Graff repeatedly, with one security guard telling him to stop sleeping on three occasions and another employee picking up his phone charger that had fallen to the floor.

The filing alleges the floor was later locked and lights turned off with Graff still inside. When his wife arrived around 11 p.m. after being unable to reach him for hours, Aramark security initially refused her entry. Only after police involvement and surveillance video review was she granted access, finding him unconscious and barely alive at approximately 2:15 a.m. After pleading with Aramark security guards, medical assistance was called at 2:28 a.m. but resuscitation attempts failed, and Graff was pronounced dead at 2:48 a.m.

The lawsuit names Philadelphia-based Aramark Corporation and multiple subsidiaries, alleging negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention. The case, originally filed in Pennsylvania state court as Baehmann v. Aramark Corp. et al., was removed to federal court on May 29, 2025. The complaint seeks compensatory damages and a jury trial, with the estate represented by Kaminsky and Lekh of Friedman Schuman Layser PC. This case highlights significant concerns about international service provider accountability and patient safety protocols in contracted healthcare facilities.

For business leaders and technology executives operating globally, this lawsuit underscores critical risk management considerations for international operations and contracted services. The allegations of systemic failures in training and oversight at Aramark's Philadelphia headquarters demonstrate how corporate policies and procedures can have life-or-death consequences thousands of miles away. Companies providing services in healthcare environments face heightened responsibility for employee training and emergency response protocols, particularly when operating across international borders with different regulatory frameworks.

The case raises important questions about the adequacy of safety monitoring systems and staff training for multinational service providers. As businesses increasingly rely on international contractors and expand global operations, this incident serves as a stark reminder that operational standards must be consistently maintained across all locations, regardless of geographic distance from corporate headquarters. The outcome of this litigation could establish important precedents for corporate liability in international service contracts and influence how multinational companies structure their overseas operations and training programs.