A woman in New Jersey died following an allegedly negligent diagnostic liver biopsy procedure. After the procedure, Phyllis Burrell experienced internal bleeding due to liver lacerations. Now her family is suing the hospital for $40 million over negligence.
Burrell went back to the Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair when she did not feel well after the procedure. She felt weak as her condition deteriorated. She returned to the hospital on April 8, 2024, despite being prescribed medication.
According to the formal complaint of the incident, she had severe symptoms that led to sudden organ failure. Her cause of death was severe bleeding due to acute multi-organ injury and compounded by medication.
Woman bled to death during secret liver biopsy after doctors claimed she had lesions that did not exist: Lawsuit https://t.co/fq3ZbaG20V
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) April 27, 2026
The document reads, “Upon admission, laboratory studies revealed that the decedent was suffering from severe and acute multi-organ injury. Her condition was significantly worse than during her prior admission just days earlier.”
According to Law&Crime, her autopsy revealed, “total absence of any lesions on the decedent’s liver.” The autopsy concluded that she suffered from a massive and fatal internal hemorrhage. The medication that was prescribed to Burrell caused a rare and adverse reaction in her body.
The family blames the hospital for not evaluating the cause of her deteriorating health and treating her condition. According to them, the doctors went ahead with a risky procedure when less risky alternatives were available. After the biopsy, Burrell’s health worsened.
The alleged negligence extends to post-biopsy aftercare. The complaint explained she was not given an intravenous line immediately after the procedure or connected to cardiac or blood pressure monitors. Her family said she was unwell and groggy.
She went in for a routine test and died 3 hours later. Now her family is suing for $40M. https://t.co/fDY7GzTSQl
— njdotcom (@njdotcom) April 26, 2026
She turned cold to the touch about an hour and a half after the surgery. The hospital called Code Blue and tried to resuscitate her, but that did not work. With the help of a CT scan, the Mountainside Hospital staff established that she needed the biopsy due to suspected prior lesions.
However, a private forensic autopsy proved there were no lesions, but did find injury consistent with the biopsy.
The 64-year-old deceased Burrell worked as a municipal employee in East Orange. Her family has called her death a wrongful death and blamed the hospital for concealing the cause of her death.
At the time, doctors provided several possible explanations, such as possible lymphoma, cardiogenic shock or high output acute cardiac failure. The family’s lawsuit called the doctors reckless in their decision-making in treating a high-risk patient.
