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Second woman sues Richmond doctor over misread mammogram

Posted at 3:22 PM, Sep 16, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-16 17:24:15-04

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A second woman has filed a lawsuit against Dr. Michael Bigg and the Allison Breast Center for allegedly misreading her mammograms and ultrasounds, which delayed the diagnosis and treatment of her breast cancer.

Lisa Gibson, a 50-year-old mother, went to Bigg for a mammogram in December 2017 after feeling a painful mass in her left breast, according to the lawsuit.

Bigg told Gibson her mammogram was "benign" and said she had a cyst that would "probably go away," according to the lawsuit.

He advised her to return in three months.

When she returned, according to the lawsuit, Bigg once again told Gibson her mammogram was "benign."

Finally, in September 2018, Bigg advised Gibson she could have aggressive cancer and referred her to a surgeon.

On September 26, 2018, Gibson was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer, and according to the lawsuit, Gibson had stage 1 breast cancer the first time she ever saw Bigg in December 2017.

The lawsuit alleged Bigg was an active alcohol abuser since 2014 and paralyzed with fear of the IRS whom he owed over $1,000,000 in back taxes.

"As a result of Defendants Bigg's and ABC's overwhelming financial problems, they began over-scheduling women for mammograms, creating a situation in which there was insufficient time to properly perform mammograms and too little time for Defendant Bigg to review and interpret the improperly performed mammograms, ulb-asounds, and biopsies," according to the lawsuit.

Gibson is one of the 18 patients listed in a Board of Medicine report who the board found had their mammograms misread by Bigg, which led the board to suspend his license.