July 5, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Family of UCLA ‘Superbug’ victim sues medical scope manufacturer

UCLA
(Thinkstock)

The family of a woman who died after undergoing multiple procedures at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center with a medical scope blamed for spreading a superbug sued the manufacturer of the device today.

The lawsuit by the family of Antonia Cerda is the second filed against Olympus America Inc. in three days over the superbug, known as CRE, which has infected seven patients at the Westwood hospital. Two of those patients died.

Aaron Young, 18, filed a lawsuit against Olympus on Monday, saying he was exposed to the bacteria twice since October. Both suits were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and allege products liability, negligence and fraud. The Cerda family lawsuit also claims wrongful death.

Olympus spokesman Mark Miller did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

According to the Cerda family lawsuit, Antonia Cerda underwent multiple procedures with the Q180V duodenoscope in October 2014.

“As a result of the exposure to this contaminated device, decedent suffered significant injury and died,” according to the lawsuit.

Both lawsuits, filed by the same attorneys, alleges that Olympus redesigned its Q180V duodenoscope last year, but no clear method for cleaning it was offered.

“The manufacturer must ensure that the validated reprocessing protocol is disseminated to medical facilities and professionals,” Young’s suit states. “Olympus failed to take these critical steps with the redesigned Q180V scope.”

Instead, Olympus provided hospitals and doctors with a safety cleaning protocol for an older endoscope with a “significantly different design,” the suit states.

“As a result, end-users were not able effectively to sanitize and clean the new redesigned scope,” the suit alleges.

Olympus management has known that the complex design of its endoscopes renders some parts of the device hard to access and as a result cleaning them is difficult, the suit alleges.

The suit does not blame UCLA for the superbug outbreak.

“The UCLA hospital complied with the reprocessing protocols provided by defendants in its operation and use of the Q180V scopes it purchased,” the suit states.

Despite such compliance, Young and other patients were infected with a “highly drug-resistant bacteria,” the suit states.

UCLA officials have notified 179 patients who underwent endoscopic procedures between October and January that they may have been exposed to the superbug, known as CRE. Hospital officials traced the infections to a pair of Olympus scopes.

According to his lawsuit, Young is still a patient at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Related Posts

Michael Madsen, Star of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, Dies at 67 in Malibu

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Actor Remembered for His Intense Performances and as a Poet  Actor Michael Madsen, known for his distinctive gravelly voice and...

Los Angeles City Council Cracks Down on ‘Disaster Tours’ in Pacific Palisades

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

City Council Bans Commercial Bus Tours in Burn Zone Amid Community Backlash Tour buses that have been operating in fire-ravaged...

Tow Truck Scammers Target Crash Victims Across L.A.: Authorities Warn of Fraud at Accident Scenes

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officials Urge Drivers to Stay Alert After Collisions as Rogue Operators Demand Inflated Fees  Motorists involved in vehicle accidents are...

Woman Dies After Melrose Store Altercation: LAPD Launches Homicide Investigation

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Critically Injured Young Woman Died July 2, After She was Badly Beaten at Work  The death of a woman critically...

CHP Officer Dies in Culver City Crash: Medical Emergency Suspected Behind Tragic Incident

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officer lost consciousness while transporting a suspect before crashing into a tree California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano died early...

L.A. Beaches Brace for Holiday Rush: Over 1 Million Visitors Expected This Fourth of July

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

County Officials Urge Beachgoers to Pack Out Their Trash and  Monitor Water Quality More than one million visitors are expected...

(Video) A visit to New York Bagel & Deli in Santa Monica

July 3, 2025

July 3, 2025

Authentic NY Style Bagels with Extra Creamy Cream Cheese and Multi-Cultural Desserts. Located at 2216 Wilshire Blvd. A visit to...

Hot Dogs & Rosé: Something About Her and The Culver Hotel Roll Out Summer Specials

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Westside Venues to Serve Playful Bites and Seasonal Sips For the Holiday Weekend A bold new offering is making its...

NeueHouse Hosts Bold One-Night Dinner With Culinary Phenomenon Diego Argoti

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Acclaimed Chef Brings Culinary Mischief With a Five-Course Tasting Experience. NeueHouse Hollywood will host an exclusive, one-night-only dining event on...

(Video) Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Go To Homefrontbuild.com For More Information @home_front_build Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles Go...

405 Crash Near the Getty Sends Three to Hospital: Two Seriously Hurt Near Site Where LAPD Sgt. Died

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Early Morning Multi-Vehicle Collision Shut Down Lanes Near Brentwood Three men were injured and traffic was snarled for hours following...

Elephants Take Over Beverly Hills: Global Art Exhibit Makes Final Stop at Beverly Gardens Park

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Traveling Installation of Life-Size Sculptures Crafted by Indigenous Artisans Arrives in Beverly Hills Life-size sculptures of Indian elephants have arrived...

Pentagon Orders Troop Drawdown in LA: 150 National Guard Members Reassigned to Wildfire Duty

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Federal Forces Begin Partial Withdrawal From Protest Response as California Leaders Push Back U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday that 150...

California Highway Patrol Deploys for Independence Day Enforcement Surge

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

All Available Officers to Hit California Highways for Holiday Weekend As Californians gear up for Fourth of July festivities, the...

Court Postpones Arraignment for Driver in Malibu Crash That Killed Four Students

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Faces Murder Charges in Fatal PCH Wreck  The arraignment for Fraser Michael Bohm, the 23-year-old man accused...