Cassandra Barksdale addresses the press regarding her legal action against Kaiser Permanente (WXIA).
In a troubling case from Georgia, a woman’s life was turned upside down due to alleged medical negligence. Cassandra Barksdale was mistakenly diagnosed with a severe type of uterine cancer, prompting an unnecessary hysterectomy. It wasn’t until months later that she discovered the biopsy results were not hers but belonged to someone else. This week, Barksdale initiated a negligence lawsuit in Clayton County against Kaiser Permanente, a laboratory information analyst, and five unidentified employees. She claims a mix-up with her tissue specimen led to the unwarranted removal of her uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and four lymph nodes, only to learn later that she was never actually afflicted with cancer.
The lawsuit details that Barksdale sought medical assistance at Kaiser Permanente’s Southwood Medical Center in January 2025 due to unusual bleeding and uterine fibroids. An endometrial biopsy was conducted on March 10, 2025.
Barksdale asserts that those in charge of her tissue sample at the facility did not correctly identify, label, or track it before it was sent to Quest Diagnostics for examination. Consequently, a different patient’s biopsy results were mistakenly recorded under her name.
The pathology findings, reported two days later, allegedly diagnosed Barksdale with “high grade endometrial uterine carcinoma with serous features.” On March 17, she was informed via phone that she had a “high-grade, aggressive” form of uterine cancer, necessitating further imaging to assess the disease’s progression, as outlined in the lawsuit.
Although a CT scan performed days later showed no evidence of cancer, Barksdale was referred to a gynecologic oncologist in Atlanta, the lawsuit alleges. No additional tests were performed before doctors allegedly “recommended a total hysterectomy.”
Relying on the cancer diagnosis and her physicians’ recommendations, Barksdale underwent surgery on May 15, 2025, during which her uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes and four lymph nodes were removed and sent to a lab for a pathological analysis. Those tests found “no morphologically malignant cells” in the organs. A subsequent surgical pathology report confirmed “no carcinoma was identified, and no malignancy was seen in the entire endometrial cavity.”
Despite those findings, doctors still allegedly told Barksdale she had cancer and should expect chemotherapy. She says she remained in limbo for months before finally receiving an explanation.
According to the complaint, Kaiser administrators met with Barksdale on Sept. 23, 2025, and informed her that DNA testing established the biopsy showing aggressive cancer was not hers and instead “belongs to a different patient.”
She later received a revised laboratory report instructing her to disregard the original pathology results because the specimen likewise “belongs to a different patient,” the complaint says.
“As a result of the abject negligence of the Defendants, Ms. Barksdale has sustained serious, permanent and irreversible injuries to her person, including but not limited to, surgical menopause, permanent and premature anatomical and physiological changes, severe mental pain, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, fear of future medical treatment, medical distrust, loss of bodily integrity and autonomy, embarrassment, humiliation, and diminished quality and enjoyment of life,” the complaint states.
The defendants are also accused of negligently failing to maintain proper chain of custody of Barksdale’s test materials, incorrectly labeling another patient’s tissue as Barksdale’s, and failing to follow laboratory protocols designed to prevent specimen misidentification.
During a news conference announcing the lawsuit, Barksdale said the diagnosis devastated her and her family.
“I had to contact my kids to let them know that I have five years to live and that I’m going to die because I have aggressive cancer,” she told Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA. “My sons went into a deep depression. It took a big hold over my family.”
She also said she struggled with severe depression and suicidal thoughts after believing she was dying.
Her attorney, Roderick Edmond, said the litigation is intended to determine how such an error could have happened.
“We’ve got computers, we’ve got science, we’ve got AI, how the h— did this happen?” Edmond said.
Edmond also said discovery could reveal whether another patient may have been affected by the alleged specimen mix-up.
Kaiser acknowledged the mistake in a statement provided to multiple news outlets.
“Our most important responsibility is to safely, expertly and compassionately care for the people who entrust us with their health. If we make a mistake, it can have profound effects,” the company said. “Ms. Barksdale should not have experienced this.”
Barksdale is seeking unspecified damages, a jury trial, attorney’s fees and other relief. The allegations in the lawsuit have not yet been tested in court.
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