DELRAY BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A wrongful death and medical negligence lawsuit has been filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court stemming from a 2023 cardiac procedure and the death of Exilon Etienne, according to a civil complaint filed this week.
The case is styled Sauvens Castelly, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Exilon Etienne, Deceased, and on behalf of the Estate v. Robert Carida, M.D.; Robert V. Carida, II, M.D., P.A.; Adam Evans, M.D.; Michael Zinckgraf, CRNA; American Anesthesiology of Florida, Inc.; Luis Mora, M.D.; and Yoel R. Vivas, M.D., P.A. d/b/a The Arrhythmia Center of South Florida. It was filed Jan. 12, 2026 in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, Case No. 502026CA000366XXXAMB.
The complaint was filed by Fogg Law Group of Palm Beach Gardens on behalf of Castelly, who is identified as the personal representative of Etienne’s estate. The complaint does not list defense counsel. All allegations are claims made by the plaintiff and have not been proven in court.
According to the complaint, Etienne received a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in 2019 due to a history of nonischemic cardiomyopathy. The filing alleges that on May 19, 2023, Etienne presented to the facilities of Yoel R. Vivas, M.D., P.A., doing business as The Arrhythmia Center of South Florida, after receiving shocks from the device, and that providers there believed he had recurrent monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.
The complaint alleges it was decided Etienne would undergo a ventricular catheter ablation to address the shocks, and he was scheduled for a procedure on Aug. 30, 2023. The filing states Luis Mora, M.D., was to perform the ablation with the assistance of an Impella device, described in the complaint as a temporary heart pump used to maintain blood flow during a procedure.
Before the scheduled date, the complaint alleges Etienne was transported by emergency medical services to Delray Medical Center on Aug. 25, 2023, due to additional shocks. The filing alleges the shocks were the result of ventricular flutter and ventricular fibrillation, and that the August 2023 episode was inconsistent with monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. The complaint further alleges the hospitalization identified Etienne’s problem as polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, which it claims cannot be resolved through a ventricular tachycardia ablation.
Despite that, the complaint alleges providers continued forward with the ablation and moved the procedure up to Aug. 28, 2023. On that date, the complaint alleges Mora performed the ablation and that Robert Carida, M.D., placed and later removed the Impella device. The filing includes specific times for the end of the final ablation and the reported time the Impella was removed.
After the procedure, the complaint alleges Etienne was transported to the cath lab at Delray Medical Center. At about 4:23 p.m., the complaint alleges Etienne was turned on his side while staff removed monitors and changed linens and that he became unresponsive. A code blue was initiated, according to the complaint, and the filing describes subsequent resuscitation efforts, including intubation, vasopressor support, re-intubation after an issue with the endotracheal tube cuff, and extended critical care time.
The complaint alleges Etienne suffered a diffuse anoxic brain injury during the code and later died on Sept. 18, 2023. The estate seeks damages under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, according to the filing, including claims for survivors and expenses identified in the complaint.
The lawsuit asserts multiple negligence counts against the named providers and entities, including claims that certain defendants failed to meet the prevailing professional standard of care and that corporate defendants are vicariously liable for alleged acts or omissions of their agents and employees. The plaintiff also demands a jury trial, according to the filing.
The original complaint, Sauvens Castelly, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Exilon Etienne, Deceased, and on behalf of the Estate v. Robert Carida, M.D., et al., Case No. 502026CA000366XXXAMB, as filed Jan. 12, 2026, 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. Boca Post reports regularly on civil filings in Palm Beach County courts. Readers can browse recent cases in our Boca Raton lawsuits coverage.
