Georgia Woman Sues Kaiser Permanente Over False Cancer Diagnosis and Unnecessary Hysterectomy

An Atlanta-area woman has sued Kaiser Permanente, alleging employees mishandled a uterine tissue sample and caused her to receive a false diagnosis of aggressive cancer before undergoing surgery that removed her reproductive organs.

The lawsuit, filed in Clayton County, Georgia, by Cassandra Barksdale, 43, names Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Permanente Insurance Co., and laboratory employees believed to have handled the specimen. She claims the error led doctors to remove her cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, forcing her into premature menopause.

Barksdale first sought care at a Kaiser Permanente center in January 2025 after experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding and concerns related to fibroids, according to the complaint. She later underwent an endometrial biopsy, which involves removing a small amount of tissue from the lining of the uterus so it can be examined for abnormal cells.

The sample was sent to Quest Diagnostics for pathology testing. On March 17, Barksdale was told that the biopsy showed high-grade, aggressive endometrial cancer.

A later CT scan showed no signs of cancer, according to the complaint. Barksdale was referred to a doctor at Northside Hospital Atlanta, who recommended surgery based on the pathology report and other medical records.

The procedure included a total hysterectomy, removal of both ovaries and biopsies of nearby lymph nodes. Testing performed after the surgery found no cancer or malignancy anywhere in the endometrial cavity.

Barksdale alleges Kaiser employees mishandled her tissue before it was sent to Quest, placing an incorrect pathology result in her medical record. Quest is not named in the lawsuit and is not accused of misreading the material it received.

Pathology testing begins before a specimen reaches the person examining it under a microscope. Health care workers must collect, label, store and transfer tissue in a way that keeps the sample tied to the correct patient. A laboratory may accurately analyze the material it receives, but the result can still be assigned to the wrong person if an earlier identification or handling failure occurred.

The lawsuit centers on negligence, which generally requires proof that a person or organization owed a duty of care, failed to meet that duty, and caused an injury. Georgia law requires medical professionals to use a reasonable degree of care and skill and allows patients to seek compensation when a failure to provide that care causes harm. Barksdale claims the alleged specimen error caused both the cancer diagnosis and the surgery that followed.

Georgia law may treat an error as professional negligence or ordinary negligence depending on the work involved. Professional negligence covers conduct requiring medical training or judgment. Administrative, clerical or routine acts that demand no specialized expertise may fall under ordinary negligence. Reading and interpreting a pathology slide requires professional skill, while labeling and transferring a specimen may involve separate handling duties.

Barksdale also seeks to hold the Kaiser entities responsible for work performed by their staff. Georgia law generally allows an employer to be held liable for negligent conduct by an employee who was performing the employer’s business. Establishing that responsibility would require evidence showing who handled the sample, what went wrong and how the alleged error entered Barksdale’s medical record.

The Northside Hospital doctor who performed the surgery is not accused of wrongdoing. According to the complaint, the recommendation was based on the pathology findings and other medical records available at the time.

Barksdale told reporters that the diagnosis affected her entire family because they believed she might have only several years to live. She said her sons became deeply depressed as the family prepared for the possibility that she could die from the disease.

Kaiser Permanente said Barksdale should not have experienced the incident and that the company took immediate steps after learning what occurred to prevent a similar error. The health system also said it was committed to working with her to resolve the matter in a fair and accountable way.

Barksdale is seeking damages for the physical, emotional and financial harm she attributes to the alleged error, along with a jury trial. Although the complaint requests more than $10,000, Georgia law requires medical malpractice claims seeking an unspecified amount above that level to use that wording rather than name a larger figure. The request does not place a $10,000 limit on the amount a jury could award.

The lawsuit remains pending in the State Court of Clayton County.