No specific laws identified for this ruling.
The court reversed the trial court's summary judgment for the defendants and remanded the case, finding material issues of fact regarding whether the physicians obtained proper informed consent for a stellate ganglion block performed on the patient while under general anesthesia without her permission.
Court Rules Patient May Have Case Over Unauthorized Medical Procedure
What Happened
Janie Sanchez and her husband Kenneth Adams sued two physicians, Lowry Schaub and Kevin Crawford, over a medical procedure. During surgery where Sanchez was under general anesthesia, the doctors performed a stellate ganglion block (a nerve injection for pain relief) without obtaining her permission beforehand. Sanchez claimed the doctors should have discussed this procedure with her and gotten her approval before proceeding.
What the Court Decided
The trial court initially sided with the doctors, dismissing the case. However, an appeals court disagreed. The court found there were genuine questions about whether the doctors properly informed Sanchez about the procedure and obtained her consent. Because these factual questions remained, the case was sent back to the lower court for trial.
Why This Matters for Workers
This ruling reinforces an important patient right: doctors must inform you about procedures and get your permission before performing them, even during surgery. Workers have the right to understand medical treatments affecting their bodies. This case shows courts will allow cases to proceed when there are questions about whether informed consent was properly obtained.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
Other orders and opinions in Janie Sanchez and Kenneth Adams, Spouse v. Lowry Schaub, M.D., and Kevin Crawford, M.D. from the same court.
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This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
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