PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A St. Lucie County woman has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tom Minas and Tenet Florida Physician Services II, LLC, which does business as the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute. The case, Patricia Caldoron v. Tom Minas, M.D., et al., was filed on November 25, 2025, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County under Case No. 502025CA012311XXXAMB. The filing appears in the court’s General Jurisdiction Division.
The complaint, submitted by Freedland Harwin Valori Gander Spillis PLLC, alleges that Dr. Minas performed a left total knee arthroplasty in March 2024 using a surgical approach the plaintiff claims was unnecessary and ultimately harmful. All allegations in the lawsuit represent the plaintiff’s position and have not been tested in court.
According to the filing, 68-year-old Patricia Caldoron sought treatment from Dr. Minas at the Paley Institute for left knee pain and osteoarthritis. The complaint states that Dr. Minas recommended knee replacement surgery, which he performed on March 14, 2024.
The lawsuit alleges that during the procedure, Dr. Minas used a lateral approach, which the plaintiff asserts was not warranted based on her condition and increased the risk of complications. After the surgery, the complaint says Caldoron reported intractable pain and swelling, difficulty standing and walking, and later developed a large knee effusion.
Caldoron alleges that Dr. Minas did not conduct an adequate postoperative evaluation and instead discharged her from his care without determining the source of her persistent symptoms. She later sought additional medical evaluations, according to the complaint, and another surgeon reportedly told her that a revision procedure could not be performed because of the lateral surgical approach used in the original operation.
Further imaging, the lawsuit states, revealed loosening of the tibial implant and a tilted kneecap. Caldoron claims these issues constitute permanent injuries and represent an aggravation of her pre-existing knee condition.
Count I of the complaint accuses Dr. Minas of negligence, alleging that he breached the standard of care by choosing an inappropriate surgical approach, failing to properly investigate her postoperative symptoms, and discharging her prematurely. Count II seeks to hold the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute vicariously liable, asserting that Dr. Minas was acting as an employee or agent of the practice at the time.
Caldoron is seeking unspecified compensatory damages for pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and medical expenses. Her attorneys state that the injuries are permanent and continuing. The complaint also asserts that the defendants did not comply with presuit information requirements under Chapter 766, which governs medical malpractice claims in Florida.
The lawsuit includes a demand for a jury trial. Attorneys Daniel Harwin, Esq., and Melissa Gunion, Esq., of the Fort Lauderdale-based firm Freedland Harwin Valori Gander Spillis PLLC, represent the plaintiff.
The original document, as filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
Here’s a plain-language breakdown of medical malpractice lawsuits and why they tend to move slowly.
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