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Woman Sues Hospital for Sticker Prank During Surgery

By Counsel & Heal Writer | Update Date: Sep 11, 2013 12:06 PM EDT

A Los Angeles woman is suing an area hospital and her anesthesiologist for allegedly putting a mustache and stickers on her face during surgery. She claims that the prank violated her dignity and endangered her death.

The woman worked as a surgical supply purchaser at the hospital. She alleged that her coworkers affixed a fake mustache above her lip and yellow tear drops below her left eye. Then a nurse snapped a photo.

The woman came to know of the prank when she returned to work after October 2011 surgery and was approached by some coworkers who had seen the photos. She also claimed that other coworkers avoided her.

She filed suit against Dr. Patrick Yang of Torrance Memorial Medical Center on August 15 in Los Angeles County Superior court.

“Perhaps the most vulnerable position any human being will ever endure in their life is a time when they are placed under full anesthesia,” reads the lawsuit, which claims the woman was fully anesthetized rather than sedated “for the sole purpose of humiliating and embarrassing the patient,” reported ABC News.

She further claims that coworkers at the hospital “knowingly and willingly agreed and conspired among themselves to not self-report the true nature of this incident to the Department of Health” and failed to “impose sufficient discipline on its employees which would have prevented the further dissemination of photographs of plaintiff while she was under anesthesia.”

The woman is seeking damages for emotional and physical distress resulting in depressions, panic attacks and sleeplessness. Apart from these she is also seeking compensation for loss of earnings of past and future as well as legal fees.

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