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California Appeals Court Revives Suit Alleging Woman Was Frozen Alive in Hospital Morgue

The ruling applies the discovery rule, restarting the wrongful-death and malpractice case.

Overview

  • California’s Second District Court of Appeal reinstated the Arroyo family’s lawsuit against White Memorial Medical Center.
  • The court found the plaintiffs had no reason to suspect Maria de Jesus Arroyo was alive when she was placed in the hospital morgue.
  • Mortuary workers reported finding her face down in a half‑unzipped body bag with a broken nose and facial bruising several days after the pronouncement.
  • A pathologist hired by the family, Dr. William Manion, concluded she had been frozen alive and injured herself while trying to escape.
  • White Memorial denies wrongdoing, says proper procedures were followed, and the case now returns to the trial court for further proceedings.