WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A Palm Beach County woman has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit alleging negligence during a medical emergency following an outpatient surgical procedure, according to a civil complaint filed in circuit court.
The lawsuit, Brittany Shelton, individually and as Court Appointed Guardian of Patricia Hollis v. Basim I. Elhabashy, M.D., Physician Partners of America, LLC, Florida Pain Relief Group, PLLC, and Bethesda Outpatient Surgery Center, LLC, was filed Jan. 13, 2026, in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, under Case No. 502026CA000431XXXAMB.
Shelton is represented by Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., according to the filing. Defense counsel is not listed in the complaint.
The complaint seeks damages in excess of $50,000 and states the action is brought under Florida’s medical malpractice statutes. It further alleges that all required presuit notices were provided, including written notice sent to the defendants in October 2025, and that a statutory 90-day extension was requested prior to filing.
According to the complaint, Hollis underwent a scheduled lumbar discectomy and decompression procedure on May 19, 2025, at Palm Beach Outpatient Surgery Center. After the procedure, Hollis was taken to the recovery area, where the complaint alleges she developed an agonal rhythm that progressed to pulseless electrical activity and cardiac arrest.
The complaint alleges that a medical code was called but that a crash cart containing emergency medications did not arrive for approximately four minutes. It further alleges that no clear code leader was established during the emergency, resulting in confusion and delays in treatment.
Once the crash cart arrived, the complaint alleges atropine was administered instead of epinephrine, which the filing states was the appropriate medication under Advanced Cardiac Life Support guidelines. The complaint claims epinephrine was not administered until approximately six minutes later, during which time Hollis allegedly suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain.
As a result, the complaint alleges Hollis sustained an anoxic brain injury and other damages. The lawsuit asserts that the alleged delays and medication errors fell below the prevailing professional standard of care.
The complaint includes one count of negligence against Elhabashy and additional counts against the corporate defendants under theories of vicarious liability. It alleges Elhabashy was acting within the scope of his employment or agency relationship with the named entities at the time of the incident.
The plaintiff seeks damages, court costs, and post-judgment interest and has demanded a jury trial. All allegations contained in the complaint are claims made by the plaintiff and have not been proven in court.
The original complaint, Brittany Shelton, individually and as Court Appointed Guardian of Patricia Hollis v. Basim I. Elhabashy, M.D., et al., Case No. 502026CA000431XXXAMB, as filed Jan. 13, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
Learn more about medical malpractice claims and how they’re typically litigated.
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