Ronnie Tejada and Rose Tejada as Next Friend of Kelsey Tejada and Kaylee Tejada v. Naphcare, Inc. and Virgilio Gernale

**Tejada v. NaphCare: Court Allows Medical Malpractice Case to Proceed** This case involved a medical malpractice lawsuit against NaphCare, a company that provides healthcare services, and one of its physicians, Dr. Virgilio Gernale. The Tejada family sued after allegedly receiving inadequate medical care that caused injuries. The defendants asked the trial court to dismiss the case entirely, claiming the lawsuit was filed too late and had already been decided in a previous case. The trial court initially agreed with the defendants and threw out the case without a trial. However, the appellate court reversed this decision. The higher court ruled that the lawsuit was filed within the proper time limits, was not barred by previous legal proceedings, and that there were genuine factual disputes about whether the defendants' actions actually caused the injuries. This meant the case should go to trial rather than being dismissed. This ruling matters for workers because it shows that employees and their families can still pursue legitimate medical malpractice claims against employer-provided healthcare services, even when defendants raise technical legal defenses. The decision reinforces that workers shouldn't be easily blocked from having their day in court when seeking accountability for medical care received through their workplace.