Customers Sue Over Walgreens Insults

March 24, 2006 — -- Elizabeth Noah couldn't believe what was attached to the anti-anxiety prescription she picked up last month at Walgreens in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.: internal computer notes from the pharmacy about her!

"It says, 'She seems shady,'" Noah said. "I just couldn't believe it. I started crying."

Florida attorney Cathy Lively is suing Walgreens on behalf of Noah and two other women who say the same thing happened to them. They say people at the drugstore chain made disparaging comments about them in computer profiles and then stapled partial printouts to their prescription bags.

"The three women in these cases were all treated for mental health issues," Lively said.

The form attached to one of the women's prescriptions reads "CRAZY!!" and "She's really a psycho."

Another one of Lively's clients picked up a prescription that referred to her as a b--tch.

These nasty notes came from the pharmacy's internal database, which is shared by more than 5,000 Walgreens nationwide.

"I don't want to be labeled as shady in a nationwide database," Noah said.

Lively doesn't know why the derogatory notes were attached. She said that although it was too early to ask for specific amounts of money damages, eventually Walgreens would pay.

"All three of the clients have suffered humiliation, absolute betrayal of their trust," Lively said.

"Personal or uncomplimentary comments about patients are totally inappropriate," Walgreens told ABC News in a statement. "This should never have occurred. We take patient concerns very seriously … and have launched an investigation."

"It is more than inappropriate," Lively said. "It is an egregious act."