Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, a Toledo-area neurosurgeon, has been connected to several lawsuits: a medical malpractice suit brought by the estate of a former patient that settled in December 2022, two earlier malpractice suits from 2004 and 2012 that were dismissed by the plaintiffs, and a wrongful death case he and his wife filed after their teenage son died in a drunk driving crash in 2013.1Washington Free Beacon. Neurosurgeon Featured in TikTok Ad Blitz Plagued by Medical Malpractice Suit
The DeFelice Malpractice Settlement
On September 10, 2020, Janelle DeFelice, acting as administratrix of the estate of her late husband Danny DeFelice, filed a medical malpractice suit in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas (Case No. 202003007). The defendants were St. Luke’s Hospital and Dr. Brian Hoeflinger.2Toledo Legal News. Janelle DeFelice vs St. Lukes Hospital, et al
Danny DeFelice died on September 15, 2018, at age 60.3Echovita. Danny DeFelice Obituary The complaint alleged that Hoeflinger and the other defendants “were negligent and departed from the accepted standards of medical care in providing post-operative monitoring, care, and treatment,” resulting in DeFelice’s death. It sought damages for negligence, permanent personal injury, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and loss of consortium.2Toledo Legal News. Janelle DeFelice vs St. Lukes Hospital, et al
Hoeflinger denied the allegations. He and the co-defendants settled the case in December 2022. The terms were not publicly reported.1Washington Free Beacon. Neurosurgeon Featured in TikTok Ad Blitz Plagued by Medical Malpractice Suit
Earlier Malpractice Claims
Two earlier malpractice suits were brought against Hoeflinger, one filed in 2004 and another in 2012. Both were dismissed by the plaintiffs. Available reporting does not indicate whether any settlement preceded either dismissal.1Washington Free Beacon. Neurosurgeon Featured in TikTok Ad Blitz Plagued by Medical Malpractice Suit
Wrongful Death Suit Over His Son’s Death
On February 1, 2013, Hoeflinger’s 18-year-old son, Brian N. Hoeflinger, pooled money with two friends. One of them, 17-year-old Blake Pappas, bought a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka from Foxx Liquor Store in Toledo. The clerk, Nicholas Thompson, did not ask Pappas for identification.4Cleveland.com. Ohio Liquor Store Clerk Sent to Jail The teenagers drank at a home and then at a birthday party hosted by John and Lisa Crider. The younger Hoeflinger left the party in his car around 11:45 p.m. Nine minutes later, his vehicle struck a tree and caught fire. He was pronounced dead at 1:00 a.m. on February 2, 2013, with a blood alcohol level of .15 percent.5Supreme Court of Ohio. Hoeflinger v. AM Mart, LLC, 2017-Ohio-7530
Thompson was later convicted of selling intoxicating liquor to a minor and sentenced to the maximum penalty of six months in jail. The trial judge barred attorneys from mentioning the fatal crash to the jury, limiting the question to whether the sale itself was illegal.6Monroe News. Toledo Store Clerk Convicted4Cleveland.com. Ohio Liquor Store Clerk Sent to Jail
In January 2015, Brian and Cynthia Burroughs Hoeflinger filed a 15-count wrongful death and negligence complaint in Lucas County Common Pleas Court (Case No. CI0201501329) against Foxx Liquor Store (AM Mart, LLC), the Criders, Pappas, and others. Pappas and some co-defendants were later voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs.5Supreme Court of Ohio. Hoeflinger v. AM Mart, LLC, 2017-Ohio-7530
The remaining defendants, Foxx Liquor Store and the Criders, won judgment on the pleadings at the trial level. On September 8, 2017, the Sixth District Court of Appeals affirmed. The appellate court reasoned that under Ohio’s Dramshop Act, the “intoxicated person” who causes harm and the “injured person” must be different people. Because Brian N. Hoeflinger was both, his estate could not recover. The court also noted that the purchaser (Pappas) and the person who died were not the same individual, so the statutory requirements for holding the liquor store liable were not met. The same logic extended to the Criders as social hosts.5Supreme Court of Ohio. Hoeflinger v. AM Mart, LLC, 2017-Ohio-7530
The Hoeflingers appealed to the Supreme Court of Ohio (Case No. 2017-1465). The court declined jurisdiction on March 14, 2018, ending the case.7Supreme Court of Ohio. Hoeflinger v. AM Mart, LLC, Case No. 2017-1465
License and Disciplinary Status
None of the malpractice matters produced any known disciplinary action against Hoeflinger’s medical license. As of 2026, his Ohio medical license remained active, and no publicly available records indicate any state medical board sanctions against him.8U.S. News Health. Dr. Brian Hoeflinger9Becker’s Spine Review. Mercy Health Adds 2 Former McLaren St. Luke’s Neurosurgeons10Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Brian F. Hoeflinger, MD