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Attorney Andrew Yaffa, a partner at Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Esperanza Cruz, a client who suffered vision loss due to stem cell therapy malpractice.
The lawsuit was filed Nov. 16, 2021, in the Circuit Court for the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, naming a total of 6 parties as defendants:
- Alvaro H. Skupin, M.D.
- Nancy Alvarez
- Mother Stem Institute, Inc.
- Solcema LLC
- Dra Nancy Productions, Inc.
- Psicoaxis Corporation
Dr. Alvaro Skupin and Nancy Alvarez are the married couple behind Mother Stem Institute. Solcema LLC, Dra Nancy Productions, Inc., and Psicoaxis Corporation are the names of various companies through which the couple has promoted the stem cell products available at Mother Stem Institute, either on TV or online.
About the Case
A 71-year-old Massachusetts resident, Ms. Cruz traveled to Florida to receive stem cell therapy at Mother Stem Institute for rheumatoid arthritis in her hands. When she visited the center in October 2020, however, she was also experiencing other problems: macular degeneration, cataracts, narrow-angle glaucoma, and other eye conditions. The defendants offered her free stem cell injections in her eyes, a procedure that would typically cost $3,500 at the clinic.
The very next day, Ms. Cruz started to experience “intense pain in her left eye,” according to the lawsuit. She returned to the clinic, where Dr. Skupin told her to use a cold compress and oral analgesic. But the pain worsened as the days passed.
Back home in Massachusetts, Ms. Cruz went to the emergency department for what the lawsuit describes as a “severe pain and a dark visual obstruction in her left eye.” This was exactly a week after she received the stem cell injection.
The medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital diagnosed her condition as a subluxated lens with vitreous hemorrhage, hyphema, and elevated intraocular pressure. Now, over a year later, Ms. Cruz lives with permanent and irreversible vision loss.
Stem Cells Are Often Mismarketed as a Miracle Cure
Stem cells may be promising, but their safety and efficacy in treating diseases remain unproven. That doesn’t stop predatory doctors from marketing stem cells as a miracle cure-all for a host of health conditions, from arthritis to multiple sclerosis, to developmental disorders. Not only do they mislead clients about what stem cell therapy can achieve, they also downplay its risks.
Ms. Cruz, for example, was under the impression that these stem cell injections were safe, that they would really work. She was neither warned of any adverse side effects nor told the procedure had yet to be proven safe and effective.
A Long-Time Advocate for Those Injured by Stem Cell Therapy
Unfortunately, this is far from the first time Attorney Yaffa has heard of stem cell therapy resulting in serious, permanent injury to the patient. In fact, he has taken on other stem cell practitioners and clinics that, just like Mother Stem Institute, are part of the Cell Surgical Network.
Read more about Attorney Yaffa’s other cases on behalf of stem cell malpractice victims:
- Andrew Yaffa Featured in Miami Media on Stem Cell Malpractice
- GRYC Stem Cell Lawsuit Client Doris Tyler Featured on NBC Nightly News
- GRYC Stem Cell Lawsuit Client Elizabeth Noble Featured on Front Page of Kansas City Star
Stem Cell Blindness Case Gains Momentum & News Attention
Ms. Cruz’s case, which is managed by Partner Andrew Yaffa, has recently gained momentum and the attention of newsgroups. Andrew was invited to sit down with Consumer Investigative Reporter Sasha Jones for an interview that was published in an article featured by NBC 6 South Florida. In the interview, Partner-Attorney Yaffa told his client’s story and warned that her case was not the first stem cell blindness lawsuit he had worked on.
Right now, the stem cell clinic industry offers many seemingly experimental treatments that have not been tested or approved in any official capacity. Countless people could sign up for risky treatments and not know it, like what happened to Ms. Cruz. The hope is that Partner-Attorney Yaffa will be able to spread awareness of stem cell treatment risks with such interviews and news stories.
If you or a loved one has suffered permanent injury due to a stem cell product, we urge you to contact Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen online today. We are proud to advocate for injured patients and maximize their compensation. Se Habla español.
