RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond-area breast surgeon is facing six lawsuits from patients who claim she performed procedures beyond her training or qualifications, resulting in “infections,” additional surgeries, “severe and permanent injuries,” and “deformity."
Dr. Sasa Grae Espino, who previously worked at the Richmond Breast Center, is being sued by women who allege she performed surgeries that were either beyond the scope of her practice and training or she was not qualified to perform.
"My breast size was an M like in Mary," said Tanya Patterson, one of the patients who filed a lawsuit. "It was causing a lot of upper back pain for me."
By summer 2023, Patterson — who is from Jarratt in Greensville County — decided she wanted to have a second breast reduction.
She turned to Dr. Espino, who she said had previously treated her grandmother.
"I kind of built a relationship with her, I felt comfortable talking to her," Patterson said.
Espino appeared on our station back in 2019.
"I want patients to look in the mirror and be happy with who they are and happy with what they look like in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years," Espino said in that 2019 interview.
On August 7, 2023, Espino "performed a bilateral reduction mammoplasty" at CJW Medical Center, according to a lawsuit filed by Patterson against Espino and her employer at the time, the Richmond Breast Center.
One week after the surgery, Patterson claims she started reporting "complaints" to the Breast Center.
"I came into the office and I saw her NP and then the next day my stitches burst open on my left breast," Patterson said.
Her lawsuit states that on August 15, 2023, Espino noted Patterson's "left drain was not functioning" and she "placed" "sutures" in the left breast.
"Espino noted 'no evidence of local or systemic infection' and ordered a return visit in one week" according to the lawsuit.
"I came back in the office, and she put two stitches in my breast," Patterson said.
Four days later, Patterson went to the "emergency room at VCU," where the lawsuit states "she was diagnosed with infection and hospitalized until August 27 as a result with multiple follow up hospitalizations and complications."
"I stayed there for a number of days and they gave me different antibiotics," Patterson said.
Espino and the Richmond Breast Center have filed answers to Patterson's lawsuit.
Local News
Breast center, surgeon deny allegations in suit alleging 'unnecessary' surgery
They both highlighted in those answers that during Patterson's office visit one week after the surgery, a nurse practitioner told Patterson she "cannot take her narcotics on an empty stomach as she is not obviously aware of what she is doing and not appropriately taking care of herself."
Both deny breaching the standard of care in any manner causing harm or injury or damages to Patterson.
But Patterson disagrees and says she now wants to undergo breast reconstruction surgery.
"My breasts are definitely not the same size, not the same width, they don't look alike at all, one is up one is down, on my left breast I no longer have a nipple on it," Patterson said.
Patterson's lawyer Howard Bullock with Emroch and Kilduff claims in the lawsuit that Espino "performed a surgery that was not medically indicated," "failed to properly weight the risks of infection on an immunocompromised patient," and "failed to diagnose treat and respond to subsequent complications from that surgery."
"We believe the infection was not recognized early enough, and if it had been she wouldn't have had this outcome that she has now," Bullock said.
He also claims "complex breast reduction mammoplasty surgeries in high-risk patients such as Patterson are not part of the training or scope of practice of a general surgeon and are within the scope of practice of plastic surgeons."
According to the Virginia Board of Medicine, Espino completed a general surgery residency at VCU in 2016 and a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Northwestern in 2017.
Bullock filed Patterson's lawsuit in June, and since then, five additional women have filed lawsuits against Espino.
Mandy Moore filed a $25 million suit alleging Espino performed an unnecessary double mastectomy with breast reconstruction that has been life altering.
Local News
$25M Lawsuit: Woman claims Va. breast surgeon performed 'unnecessary' surgery
"Shame on you, shame on you, I can't even cry anymore because I am just so mad," Moore said.
And Audrey Andrews, whose lawsuit alleges Espino performed a complex breast reconstruction surgery called a latissimus dorsi flap. Her lawsuit claims after the surgery she sought a second opinion from a board-certified plastic surgeon who allegedly told her she was left with a "severe deformity." He added the procedure was "not consistent with the standard of care," the lawsuit says.
Local News
Cancer survivor sues Virginia surgeon over breast reconstruction
"There was a lump underneath my arm the size of a softball that shouldn't have been there I don't know why it was there," Andrews said.
Espino, the Breast Center, and the hospital have filed answers to Moore and Andrews' lawsuits denying that she breached the standard of care in any manner causing harm or injury to either woman and alleging that she was qualified to perform such procedures.
Moore, Andrews, and three other women are also alleging in their lawsuits that Chippenham Johnston-Willis Hospitals negligently credentialed Espino to perform procedures that were either beyond the scope of her practice and training or she was not qualified to perform.
Patterson is alleging the Richmond Breast Center negligently retained her and "knew or should have known she was not a board certified plastic surgeon but was performing complex breast reconstruction and reduction surgeries she was not qualified to perform."
"I would like Dr. Espino to know that I really trusted her, and I felt comfortable putting my life in her hands, and now she has torn down my self esteem and my self image and I am not comfortable being my self or being exposed with the person I am supposed to live the rest of my life with," Patterson said.
Dr. Espino left the Richmond Breast Center at the end of 2024. She has not responded to my attempts to contact her, but her lawyers are responding to me on her behalf.
Most recently, they told me in part: "Dr. Espino's specialized fellowship, education, training, and surgical experience, qualifies her to perform breast reconstruction surgeries. As you know from our prior exchanges, Dr. Espino was credentialed and had privileges at multiple Richmond area hospitals to practice Oncoplastic Breast Surgery – which included breast reconstruction."
They also told me "We have initiated a productive dialogue with the involved lawyers to understand the concerns and related claims more fully."
We also reached out to a spokesperson for HCA about Patterson's lawsuit, because the lawsuit states the Richmond Breast Center is owned and controlled by HCA Healthcare, and we are waiting to hear back.
In the past they told us Espino's request for privileges was carefully reviewed by the credentials and medical executive committees, and those committees review case logs and other documentation to ensure the provider has demonstrated competency in the requested procedure.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
