WELLINGTON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A wrongful death and medical negligence lawsuit has been filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against Wellington Regional Medical Center LLC, accusing the hospital of responsibility for alleged anesthesia-related errors during a July 2025 procedure.
The civil complaint, Humberto Martinez, as Prospective Personal Representative of the Estate of Ethelvina Martinez v. Wellington Regional Medical Center LLC, was filed Feb. 12, 2026, as Case No. 502026CA001712XXXAMB, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida.
The plaintiff, Humberto Martinez, is identified in the complaint as the prospective personal representative of the estate of Ethelvina Martinez and a Palm Beach County resident. The defendant is described as a Florida limited liability company doing business in Palm Beach County, including owning and operating a hospital at 10101 Forest Hill Boulevard, Wellington, Florida 33414, with a principal place of business in West Palm Beach, according to the filing. The complaint lists the plaintiff’s attorneys as NextGen Injury Law of West Palm Beach, including Thomas J. Chapman and Christa L. McCann. No defense law firm is identified in the complaint.
The allegations center on care that the complaint says Ethelvina Martinez received after presenting to Wellington Regional Medical Center “on or about” June 24, 2025, for what is described as a boil or abscess on her inner right thigh. According to the complaint, a general surgeon, Ana Lozano, D.O., performed an incision and drainage procedure on July 3, 2025. The filing states the procedure was performed under general anesthesia administered by Michael Black, M.D., and Yvonne Abraham, CRNA.
The complaint alleges that during the procedure, Black and/or Abraham administered and titrated an inappropriate amount of sevoflurane given the patient’s age and existing health conditions, and that the alleged improper dosing occurred on multiple occasions. The plaintiff further claims the patient experienced prolonged hypotension that led to myocardial ischemia and a myocardial infarction, and alleges the anesthesia providers failed to observe or address the hypotension in time. The complaint also alleges they failed to timely and appropriately administer vasopressor medications, including epinephrine, and states Ethelvina Martinez later died on July 12, 2025.
In addition to the medical allegations, the complaint asserts the plaintiff complied with Florida’s pre-suit notice requirements and states a Notice of Intent was sent in October 2025. The filing also claims Wellington Regional Medical Center repeatedly failed to comply with Chapter 766 pre-suit requirements and did not provide responses during the pre-suit period described in the complaint.
The lawsuit brings multiple counts seeking to hold Wellington Regional Medical Center responsible on vicarious-liability theories tied to the alleged acts and omissions of Black and Abraham, including claims framed as employee-based vicarious liability as well as actual and apparent agency. The plaintiff seeks damages the complaint says are available under Florida’s wrongful death statute, including medical and funeral expenses, alleged lost net accumulations, and alleged losses to the surviving spouse, and demands a jury trial. As with all civil cases at this stage, the allegations are claims made by the plaintiff and have not been proven in court.
The original complaint, Humberto Martinez, as Prospective Personal Representative of the Estate of Ethelvina Martinez v. Wellington Regional Medical Center LLC, Case No. 502026CA001712XXXAMB, as filed February 12, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed at the PBC Clerk of Courts.
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