A Seattle medical malpractice jury returned its verdict on February 27, 2026 in the amount of $24 million for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging that a stem cell center was negligent in its treatment of a 62-year-old man in 2019 that led to his death.
After the man was diagnosed in 2017 with ALS, he was able to continue to work as an electrician and participate in physical activities such as hiking and exercising. In 2019, he responded to online marketing by a stem cell center that stated that stem cells could treat serious medical conditions, including ALS. The man participated in a free consultation and decided to undergoing stem cell treatment to treat or even cure his ALS. He advised the stem cell center during the consultation that he was taking Coumadin, a blood thinner.
In February 2019, the man had his first stem cell treatment at the center. Then, in April 2019, he had his second stem cell treatment, which cause a brain bleed. One day later, he was dead.
The family’s stem cell malpractice lawsuit alleged that the stem cell center failed to advise the man to stop taking Coumadin during either stem cell treatment. As a result, the spinal injection in April 2019 caused the brain bleed that led to death.
The man was married and had five children. His wife said after the verdict, “We flew to Seattle with hope, and I flew home alone.” The jury awarded $4 million to the man’s estate, $5 million to his wife, and $3 million to each of their five children, who range in ages 32 to 46.
The family’s Washington medical malpractice Complaint alleged, in part:
In the fall of 2017, Michael Trujillo was diagnosed with amytrophic lateral sclerosis (hereinafier “ALS”) by his physicians at Kaiser Permanente in Colorado. In early 2019, Michael saw the defendants’ promotional materials regarding adipose-derived stem cell therapy. The defendants claimed that stem cells from a patient’s own fat could be used to effectively treat many medical conditions, including neurologic conditions such as ALS. The defendants promoted Seattle Stem Cell Center and Tami Meraglia, MD as members of the Cell Surgical Network and as leaders in the field of stem cell treatment. The defendants represented that the Seattle Stem Cell Center and Dr. Meraglia were engaged in treating patients as part of an IRB-approved clinical research study. After reviewing the defendants’ promotional materials, Michael was ultimately persuaded to pay $15,550.00 out-of-pocket to undergo treatment with Dr. Meraglia at Seattle Stem Cell Center.
Prior to starting treatment, Michael notified Seattle Stem Cell Center that he was taking Coumadin (warfarin). Michael also provided Seattle Stem Cell Center with a complete list of his prescription medications from Kaiser Permanente, which showed that he was taking Coumadin (warfarin). Michael was not advised to discontinue this medication at any time prior to undergoing treatment at Seattle Stem Cell Center.
On February 20, 2019, Michael arrived at the Seattle Stem Cell Center to begin the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) treatment process that was designed, developed, marketed, and sold by the defendants. Dr. Meraglia performed a procedure to harvest adipose cells from the fat in Michael’s flank. Some of the harvested cells were then deployed into Michael’s body intravenously while others were stored for future stem cell treatments.
On April 4, 2019, Michael returned to the Seattle Stem Cell Center. This time, Michael underwent a spinal epidural injection performed by Andrea Friesen, MD. Following the procedure, Michael reported that he did not feel well. Michael was told that he might experience headache, but that he should not worry because a headache is normal following a spinal epidural injection. After the spinal epidural injection, Michael did develop a headache, which worsened overnight. The next day, on April 5, 2019, Michael’s family contacted the Seattle Stem Cell Center to report that Michael was experiencing a severe headache. Michael’s family was again told that “spinal headaches” are normal and expected after a spinal epidural injection.
By the evening of April 5, 2019, Michael was sweating profusely, and his headache was so severe that it was impacting his vision, speech, and movement. Michael’s family called 911 and medics from the Seattle Fire Department promptly transferred him to the Emergency Department at Swedish Cherry Hill. The medics documented that Michael had recently undergone lumbar puncture and was on Coumadin (warfarin). Unfortunately, by the time Michael was examined in the Emergency Department, he was unresponsive and unable to move his extremities. Michael immediately underwent neuroimaging, which revealed a devastating intracranial bleed. Michael was pronounced dead the following day on April 6, 2019.
If you or a loved one may have suffered serious harm as a result of stem cell therapy in the United States, you should promptly find a medical malpractice attorney in your state who may investigate your stem cell malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a stem cell medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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