A distant relative of the Lackses, he contacts Deborah Lacks claiming to be both a lawyer and a doctor and urging her to copyright Henrietta’s name in order to get a cut of the money that the cells have earned over the decades. In truth, Cofield is a fraud and a swindler who has done jail time; eventually he files a frivolous lawsuit against the Lackses and Johns Hopkins, utterly betraying Deborah’s trust.
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Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield Character Timeline in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The timeline below shows where the character Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield appears in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9: Turner Station
...to talk about Henrietta Lacks, however, she becomes terrified, asking if she’s come from “Mr. Cofield.” Rebecca tries to reassure her, telling her that she doesn’t know anyone named Cofield, and...
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...Lacks day here in Baltimore county.” She is still working on the museum, despite “the Cofield situation,” although Deborah is now afraid to continue. Courtney takes Rebecca into the library, and...
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Chapter 28: After London
Rebecca introduces a new character into the narrative: Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield: “the cousin of Deborah’s husband’s former stepdaughter, or something like that.” Cofield contacts Deborah, asserting...
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Cofield is a fraud who has spent “years in various prisons.” He has brought many frivolous...
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...records for Elsie. She also meets with Kidwell, who pledges that Hopkins will fight off Cofield. They do, and the case is dismissed, but Hopkins still refuses to honor or acknowledge...
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Deborah remains deeply paranoid, convinced that Cofield is going to steal her mother’s possessions or records, or even her own cells. Soon,...
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Chapter 34: The Medical Records
At last, Deborah tells Rebecca the story of Cofield, explaining how he betrayed her trust by trying to take “the only things I really...
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