On Thursday, August 29, 2024, El Paso Inc. reported that the judge presiding over a malpractice lawsuit against El Paso Children’s Hospital had recused herself from the case.
243rd District Court Judge Selena Solis filed a certificate of conflict of interest with the district court administrator on August 26, requesting that the case be reassigned. This came after images surfaced online showing Judge Solis attending a fundraising gala for El Paso Children’s Hospital on August 10, while she was overseeing a lawsuit against the hospital.
The lawsuit was filed in August 2020 by David Saucedo II and his wife Mariana Terrazas Saucedo. Their daughter Ivanna Maria Saucedo passed away in 2019 at the age of three while under the care of El Paso Children’s Hospital and Dr. Roberto Canales. The Saucedos are accusing the hospital and Dr. Canales of negligence, malpractice, and willful misconduct that led to Ivanna’s death. A third defendant, Dr. Rodolfo Fierro-Stevens, is also named in the suit. The family is seeking damages to cover past medical expenses including funeral costs, as well as compensation for physical and mental anguish over the loss of their daughter.
Solis had been the presiding judge over the case for the past four years. David Saucedo expressed frustration with some of Solis’ previous rulings in the case, such as excluding expert testimony from medical reports and affidavits that were critical of Dr. Canales’ credentials and training history. Those records had argued the hospital gave Canales exemptions from normal requirements in return for bringing in new patients. Solis struck the records from evidence, and higher courts upheld that decision.
The case has been transferred to the 168th District Court under Judge Marcos Lizarraga.
David Saucedo said he was pleased a judge who socialized with the defendant hospital would no longer oversee the lawsuit. He and his attorneys are now focused on moving forward with the case under the new judge.
Source: El Paso Inc.
