The province of Manitoba says it's not responsible for the death of a man who languished 34 hours in a Winnipeg hospital's emergency room.

Court documents have been filed with the government's defence against a lawsuit filed by the family of Brian Sinclair.

Sinclair's relatives allege the province allowed the ER to operate even though it constituted a "public nuisance" and was "injurious to public health."

Lawyers for the province say the lawsuit is making "bald allegations" without any evidence to back them up.

Sinclair -- a 45-year-old double amputee -- died of a preventable bladder infection more than three years ago at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre.