Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller, 59, is suing a prominent Los Angeles hospital, alleging that doctors left a catheter in her body for years.
The TV star, who is the founder of Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Dance Company, has filed a lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Marina Del Ray Hospital for alleged medical malpractice, professional negligence and medical battery and is seeking nearly US$1.5 million in damages.
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Miller, who is a paraplegic, says that the hospital left a catheter inside her abdomen for years after performing life-saving spinal surgery in 2020.
“Abby Lee Miller suffered for years from an object left inside of her during spinal surgery; despite complaints to various physicians, not one ordered imaging of any kind to diagnose the source of her pain,” Miller’s attorney Nadine Lewis said in a statement.
Since the 2020 surgery, Miller said she repeatedly reported the discomfort to physicians who “systemically dismissed her chronic pain and let her suffer for years with a catheter inside of her abdomen.”
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By March 2024, Miller’s abdominal discomfort reportedly “had escalated into persistent and debilitating pain, impacting her quality of life on a daily basis.”
According to the lawsuit, in June 2024 while she was seeking care for an unrelated issue at a different hospital, she was referred to an emergency room for the pain.
Days later, a CT scan reportedly revealed that a foreign object was inside her abdomen, and she had the bright blue catheter surgically removed.
“This is not just medical battery, it reflects a larger, devastating truth: women’s pain is too often ignored or dismissed by the very professionals sworn to care for them,” Lewis said.
“Abby’s case is a chilling reminder: even when women are vocal and visibly in distress, their pain is still not believed.”
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A spokesperson for Cedars-Sinai issued a statement that the hospital can’t comment pending legal matters or discuss any patient’s medical treatment due to federal and state privacy laws.
“However, the care and safety of our patients, staff and visitors are always Cedars-Sinai’s top priorities,” the hospital said.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that we meet the highest standards of care for all those we serve.”
Abby Lee Miller first rose to fame when Dance Moms premiered in 2011.
The hit reality show followed the drama-filled and dazzling world of competitive dance led by hard-line dance instructor Abby Lee Miller and her six to 16-year-old rising stars.
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The show documented the highs and lows of the road to stardom as told by Abby Lee Dance Company’s Junior Elite Competition Team.
Throughout the series, the girls and their doting mothers travelled week after week to show-stopping dance competitions.
Despite ending in 2019, Dance Moms is still highly popular and launched the stellar careers of JoJo Siwa, Maddie and Kenzie Ziegler and more.
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Since the show’s final seasons, Miller has had a turbulent journey.
In 2017, Miller made national headlines when she was sentenced to a year in federal prison for concealing assets from a bankruptcy court, and one count of failing to report an international currency transaction.
She also faced a diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma in 2018, which caused paralysis and required extensive treatment, including 10 rounds of chemotherapy. She announced she was cancer-free in May 2019.
Stream every episode of Dance Moms for free on 9Now.
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