Abby Lee Miller, best known for her role on the reality series "Dance Moms," is suing a prominent Los Angeles hospital, accusing its medical staff of leaving a surgical item inside her after a procedure.
Miller filed a lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and two of its physicians, accusing them of medical malpractice, negligence and unauthorized medical treatment, NBC News reported.
The 59-year-old former reality star, who is a paraplegic, claimed that doctors failed to remove a catheter from her abdomen following spinal surgery in 2020. She is seeking nearly $1.5 million in damages as part of her lawsuit.
"Abby Lee Miller suffered for years from an object left inside of her during spinal surgery; despite complaints to various physicians, not one ordered imaging of any kind to diagnose the source of her pain," Nadine Lewis, Miller's attorney, said in a statement.
Following her 2020 surgery, Miller claimed she complained to her doctors about ongoing pain multiple times. However, the lawsuit stated that medical professionals "systemically dismissed her chronic pain and let her suffer for years with a catheter inside of her abdomen."
The lawsuit noted that by March 2024, Miller's abdominal pain "had escalated into persistent and debilitating pain, impacting her quality of life on a daily basis." Later that year, during a visit to another medical facility for an unrelated matter, doctors grew concerned about her condition and sent her to the emergency room for further evaluation.
According to the lawsuit, a CT scan performed two days later, in June 2024, uncovered a foreign object lodged in her abdomen. The bright blue catheter was then surgically extracted.
"This is not just medical battery, it reflects a larger, devastating truth: Women's pain is too often ignored or dismissed by the very professionals sworn to care for them," Lewis said. "Abby's case is a chilling reminder: Even when women are vocal and visibly in distress, their pain is still not believed."
The hospital declined to comment on the matter when approached by TMZ.
"Cedars-Sinai cannot comment on pending legal matters. Also, due to federal and state privacy laws, Cedars-Sinai cannot discuss any patient's medical treatment," a statement to the outlet read.
"However, the care and safety of our patients, staff and visitors are always Cedars-Sinai's top priorities. We are dedicated to ensuring that we meet the highest standards of care for all those we serve," it concluded.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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