Thomas L. Morris III, the son of a postal worker who died after being exposed to anthrax, has filed a $37 million lawsuit against the facility that misdiagnosed his father last month. The suit claims that a doctor at the Kaiser Permanente facility in Maryland treated the postal worker for the flu and sent him home with directions to take Tylenol.

According to his son, Thomas L. Morris Jr. went to the facility on October 18 complaining of body aches and difficulty breathing. After being treated for the flu, Mr. Morris was released. He died of exposure to anthrax three days later. The suit claims that the doctor should have prescribed antibiotics as a precaution after Mr. Morris told the doctor that a mysterious envelope had appeared at the post office with "white powder" inside.

The facility vows to fight the lawsuit. Susan Simon, a spokeswoman for Kaiser Permanente, claims the physician who treated the postal worker took the necessary steps to ensure Mr. Morris wasn't in danger. Simon claims that the doctor called the Maryland Department of Health and performed a nose swab, which later tested negative for anthrax.