A woman is suing a prominent medical center for negligence after suffering severe injuries while under their care. Sueann Schumann filed the complaint against Dignity Health, doing business as St. Mary's Medical Center, in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco on September 3, 2024.
According to the court documents, Schumann was admitted to St. Mary's Medical Center on May 8, 2023, due to feeling unwell and was diagnosed with a liver issue. Despite initial improvement, she was kept for observation for two nights without undergoing a fall risk assessment—a standard procedure she usually underwent. On May 11, 2023, Schumann fell during the night after calling for assistance that never arrived. The fall resulted in a broken hip and head injury. She was subsequently transferred to multiple facilities for treatment and continues to suffer from severe physical and emotional distress.
The lawsuit accuses St. Mary's Medical Center of failing to ensure competent medical staff and proper patient care protocols as mandated by California regulations. "Defendant St. Mary's Medical Center had a duty to ensure that all hospital departments were properly staffed with qualified personnel," the complaint states, citing violations of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. Schumann alleges that these failures led directly to her injuries and ongoing health issues.
Schumann seeks various forms of relief from the court, including general damages for negligence, special damages for medical expenses incurred and anticipated future costs, compensation for permanent or temporary disability, emotional distress damages, loss of earnings both past and prospective, loss of capacity to earn income, and loss of homemaking services.
Representing Schumann is Koorosh K. Shahrokh from National Choice Lawyers. The case has been assigned Case No.: CGC-24-617716 in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco.