BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — The estate of a Palm Beach County woman who died after a Boca Raton medical appointment is asking a judge to require Boca Raton Regional Hospital to turn over blood samples that may be used to evaluate potential legal claims.
The petition, filed May 19, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, is captioned Charles Goldstein, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Helena Goldstein v. Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Inc., Case No. 502026CA005618XXXAMB.
Charles Goldstein, as personal representative of the estate, filed the petition for a pure bill of discovery against Boca Raton Regional Hospital Inc. in the court’s General Jurisdiction Division. The filing lists Ignacio Segurola of The Ferraro Law Firm as attorney for the petitioner. No defense law firm is listed in the petition reviewed by Boca Post.
The filing is not a damages lawsuit over Helena Goldstein’s death. It is a petition asking the court to require production of blood samples that the estate says are needed to identify potential defendants, evaluate possible theories of liability and determine what claims may exist. The allegations in the filing are claims made by the petitioner and have not been proven in court.
According to the petition, Helena Goldstein went to a medical appointment at the Paley Institute in Boca Raton on or about Jan. 15, 2026, for what the filing describes as a routine checkup for carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis in her right hand.
During that appointment, the petition says, she was administered a right thumb carpometacarpal joint injection. Immediately afterward, according to the filing, Goldstein fell unconscious and went into cardiac and respiratory arrest.
The petition says Goldstein was transported by ambulance to Boca Raton Regional Hospital, where she received treatment for several days before dying on Jan. 19, 2026.
According to the filing, Boca Raton Regional Hospital has represented that it has 35 separate blood samples taken from Goldstein at various times between Jan. 15 and Jan. 18, 2026. The estate claims those are the only known blood samples taken from Goldstein after the injection at the Paley Institute.
The petition says the estate retained a medical examiner to perform a private autopsy, including blood sample analysis. Goldstein’s estate claims it requested that the hospital turn over the blood samples to the medical examiner.
The filing further alleges that the estate provided Boca Raton Regional Hospital with a valid HIPAA release on more than one occasion. The petition claims the hospital refused to release the blood samples to the estate or the medical examiner unless Goldstein signed what the filing describes as a vaguely worded release that could be read to absolve the hospital from liability in Goldstein’s death.
The petition says the estate needs to acquire and preserve the blood samples related to the events between Jan. 15 and Jan. 19, 2026. The estate claims the samples are material and necessary to evaluate prospective claims arising from those events.
According to the filing, the estate argues that a pure bill of discovery is the only legal remedy available to obtain the blood samples and determine what claims may exist against what parties.
The petition also cites federal health privacy regulations and claims Boca Raton Regional Hospital is a HIPAA covered entity. The estate alleges the blood samples are individually identifiable health information and private health information, and claims the hospital is legally required to turn them over pursuant to prior requests.
The original complaint, Charles Goldstein, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Helena Goldstein v. Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Inc., Case No. 502026CA005618XXXAMB, as filed May 19, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court, can be viewed here.
The petition asks the court to require Boca Raton Regional Hospital to produce all blood samples in its possession or control related to the incident. It also asks for any other relief the court deems appropriate.
Related Explainer: Medical Malpractice Lawsuits. Boca Post tracks civil litigation filed in Palm Beach County courts as part of its ongoing legal coverage. Readers can explore recent cases in our Boca Raton lawsuits coverage.
