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Patient Sues after Anesthesiologist Puts Moustache, Tear Stickers on Her Face During Surgery

Patient Sues after Anesthesiologist Puts Moustache, Tear Stickers on Her Face During Surgery

When Veronica Valdez went in for finger surgery at Torrance
Memorial Medical Center in October 2011, she probably never expected to
be the butt of a practical joke as she lay unconscious.

But near the end of the procedure, Dr. Patrick Yang placed stickers
on Valdez’s face to give her tattoo-style teardrops and a black
moustache, emulating the appearance of a male gang member. Once the
stickers were in place, nurse’s aid Patricia Gomez took a picture of the
work with her mobile phone.

Valdez is now suing over the incident. Although Gomez claims to have
deleted the photo promptly after the incident, the image was posted on
Facebook, obtained by the NY Daily News, and is serving as evidence in
the lawsuit.

Valdez herself had worked at the hospital for 13 years managing
medical supplies, and was on a friendly basis with the surgery-room
staff. Dr. Yang reported that rather that feeling insulted, he believed
at the time that Valdez would think the joke was amusing.

“I thought she would think this is funny and she would appreciate it, “ said Dr. Yang.

On the contrary, Valdez said in court documents obtained by The Daily Mail that she felt “violated. I was in shock.”

According to Valdez’s attorney, Andrew Ryan, the plaintiff was
“ridiculed and humiliated while under anesthesia.” He claims that she
quit her job out of embarrassment after the incident.

Valdez has filed a civil lawsuit set for trial in January 2014. She
is claiming violation of privacy and emotional distress, and seeking
compensation from the hospital and the anesthesiologist, as well as his
medical group.

The hospital does not allow cell phones in patient areas, per a rule set in 2009 following a 2009 incident.

Said nursing manager Arthur Ano, "There was an incident, some years
[ago], I walked in an operating room and the sales rep was taking a
picture of a naked patient and I seized the phone. We discovered more
pictures of the patient on his cell phone."

Yang and Gomez both faced disciplinary action by the hospital, but were not fired.

Emotional distress to the point of quitting her job? Egads...grow a pair! That being said, she had every right to be pissed off, especially since it was posted on FB instead of being messaged to HER privately beforehand to ask her permission.

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