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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Pet Owner Sues San Francisco Veterinary Clinic Over Alleged Malpractice Leading To Cat's Death

State Court
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A grieving pet owner has filed a lawsuit against a San Francisco veterinary clinic, alleging severe malpractice and fraud that led to the death of her beloved cat. Christine E. Lopez lodged the complaint on July 22, 2024, in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco against San Francisco Animal Medical Center (AMC), Dr. Aarti Sabhlok, Dr. Winnie Ybarra, and other unnamed defendants.

Lopez's complaint outlines a series of alleged failures by AMC and its staff while treating her cat Bobby for Large-Cell Lymphoma (LCL) from July 2022 until his death on July 21, 2023. According to Lopez, Bobby was under the care of AMC after his previous oncologist relocated. She asserts that AMC failed to provide adequate medical care and information about Bobby’s condition, leading to his suffering and eventual death.

"Despite my constant requests for full test results/reports in writing, I got nothing for about eight months," Lopez stated in her complaint. She claims that this lack of transparency prevented her from understanding Bobby's full health situation and making informed decisions about his treatment. The plaintiff alleges that AMC’s oncology staff repeatedly delayed chemotherapy treatments, which worsened Bobby’s condition and led to drug resistance.

Lopez also accuses Dr. Sabhlok of having a conflict of interest by recommending genetic testing and experimental treatments like Tanovea without disclosing her financial stake in the companies conducting these tests. "Later I discovered Sabhlok was a shareholder in that company... but she never told me," Lopez said.

The complaint further details how AMC allegedly failed to inform Lopez about Bobby's deteriorating kidney condition while aggressively treating him for cancer. This omission is cited as both negligence and fraud since it misled Lopez into continuing expensive cancer treatments when Bobby was likely to die from kidney failure regardless.

In addition to veterinary malpractice and negligence, Lopez accuses AMC of failing to provide proper medication instructions and warnings about potential side effects. She claims this oversight contributed significantly to Bobby's declining health and eventual death.

Lopez is seeking over $30,000 in damages for veterinary bills related to cancer treatment, emergency care, medications, transport costs, as well as additional expenses incurred due to stress-related dental issues caused by grinding her teeth from emotional distress. She also seeks punitive damages and other reliefs deemed appropriate by the court.

Case ID CGC-24-816588

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