A woman from Seaside, California, has filed a lawsuit alleging severe medical malpractice that left her permanently paralyzed. Marilyn Evans lodged the complaint against Stanford Health Care and Dr. Jordan Russell Stern in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on August 27, 2024.
The case revolves around an October 26, 2023, medical procedure performed at Stanford Health Care. Evans was admitted for a fenestrated intravascular aortic repair to address an abdominal aortic aneurysm located approximately 12 millimeters below her right renal artery. The imaging had shown the aneurysm to be 4.2 centimeters in size. Following the procedure conducted by Dr. Jordan Russell Stern, Evans woke up completely paralyzed from the T10 vertebra down to the conus medullaris.
According to the complaint, subsequent imaging revealed that Evans suffered an anterior spinal artery infarct during the surgery. The lawsuit claims that both Stanford Health Care and Dr. Stern were negligent in their management of her medical and surgical care, including examinations and handling of the intravascular aortic repair. "Defendants established a physician-nurse-hospital-medical provider relationship with plaintiff," states the document, adding that this relationship imposed a duty on them to provide skillful management within the applicable standard of care.
Evans alleges that due to this negligence, she has been left with irreversible paralysis of her lower extremities and will require lifetime care. The complaint outlines various forms of damages she is seeking: non-economic damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and related physical damage; economic damages for loss of earnings and future life care needs; legal interest; and any other relief deemed just by the court.
Represented by attorney Marshall Silberberg from Irvine-based Law Offices of Marshall Silberberg, Evans is demanding a jury trial for her case. The case ID is 24CV446068.