Paley Institute Lawsuits: Malpractice Suits, Trial, and Dismissals

The Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, and its physicians have been named in a cluster of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in 2024 and 2025, an earlier pediatric malpractice case still moving toward trial, dropped state regulatory complaints tied to two wrong-site surgeries a decade ago, and a separate intellectual property dispute that was dismissed in 2024. The institute operates as Tenet Florida Physician Services II, LLC, a Tenet Healthcare subsidiary, and Tenet is named alongside the individual surgeons in the recent malpractice suits on a vicarious liability theory.

Three Malpractice Suits Filed the Same Day in November 2025

On November 25, 2025, three separate medical malpractice complaints were filed against the institute in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County. Each names Tenet Florida Physician Services II, LLC (doing business as the Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute) together with one or more of its surgeons. All three demand jury trials, and the defendants had not filed responses as of initial reporting.

Kojalo v. Quinnan: Alleged Unnecessary Limb Lengthening

Peter Kojalo sued Dr. Stephen Matthew Quinnan, who leads the institute’s Trauma and Limb Restoration Department, over a right-leg limb-lengthening procedure performed on October 28, 2022, to treat ankle pain. The complaint alleges Dr. Quinnan never ordered basic pre-surgical testing such as a CT scanogram to confirm any leg-length discrepancy existed, did not discuss conservative alternatives, and did not adequately explain the risks. Kojalo says he would not have consented had the risks and alternatives been properly disclosed.¹

The surgery included osteotomies of the tibia and fibula along with tibial lengthening and hardware placement. Kojalo claims permanent injuries including chronic pain and difficulty walking. The three-count complaint alleges negligence, lack of informed consent, and vicarious liability against the Paley Institute as Dr. Quinnan’s employer.¹

Bonacci v. Minas and Robbins: Knee Replacement With Nerve Decompression

Peter Bonacci, 63, sued Dr. Tom Minas, Dr. Craig Robbins, and the institute over a right knee replacement performed in late December 2022. According to the six-count complaint, Dr. Minas performed a total knee arthroplasty while Dr. Robbins simultaneously performed a peroneal nerve decompression. Bonacci alleges neither doctor explained the risks of the nerve procedure or discussed alternatives, and that the nerve decompression was not medically justified.²

Bonacci says he is permanently disabled, describing burning neuropathy in his right foot, reduced range of motion, chronic pain requiring a walker, and mental anguish. The complaint brings negligence and lack of informed consent counts against both doctors and a vicarious liability count against the institute.²

Caldoron v. Minas: Left Knee Arthroplasty Complications

Patricia Caldoron, 68, sued Dr. Tom Minas and the institute over a left total knee replacement performed on March 14, 2024. Her complaint alleges Dr. Minas was negligent in choosing a lateral approach, failed to properly investigate postoperative symptoms, and discharged her prematurely. Caldoron claims permanent injuries including a loosened tibial implant and a tilted kneecap, and seeks unspecified compensatory damages.³

Chapman v. Paley: Pediatric Malpractice Case Headed to Trial

A separate malpractice case naming Dr. Dror Paley personally was filed on January 18, 2024. Jennifer Marie Chapman and Christopher Allan Chapman sued on behalf of their minor child, identified in court records as S.C., naming Dr. Paley, the Paley Institute, and more than a dozen other defendants including other physicians, nurse practitioners, a physician assistant, and anesthesia providers. St. Mary’s Medical Center and multiple radiology and anesthesia providers are among the co-defendants.⁴

The case, assigned to Judge Caryn Siperstein in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, claims damages exceeding $75,000. The specific medical allegations are not detailed in the available court records. The matter went through non-binding arbitration, and a sealed arbitration award was filed on February 2, 2026. Several defendants, including Drs. Sara Ann Tano and Osvaldo Planche Utria and Emergency Pediatric Services, rejected the arbitration result and requested a new trial. A jury trial was scheduled, with the trial window set for March through May 2026. The case remained open as of the most recent filings.⁴

Wrong-Site Surgery Complaints Dropped by Florida Regulators

Two earlier regulatory matters involved wrong-site pediatric surgeries at St. Mary’s Medical Center. In September 2012, a 9-year-old boy identified as R.S. had a metal plate implanted in the wrong ankle. In January 2013, a 5-year-old boy identified as F.W. had a plate placed on the wrong side of his knee.⁵

The Florida Department of Health filed administrative complaints against Dr. Paley in 2014 and 2015, alleging that the practice’s structure, in which surgical teams routinely operated on multiple patients simultaneously in separate rooms, contributed to the errors. In the second incident, the complaint described Dr. Paley removing a rod from the child’s knee and then moving to a different operating suite to treat another patient, after which the remaining team, including a physician assistant and a surgical fellow who had just rotated in from a third procedure, performed the wrong-site implantation.⁶

Dr. Paley disputed the allegations and requested a formal hearing, maintaining he did not perform either procedure and had never committed a wrong-site surgery. Investigators determined that Dr. Matthew Harris, a fellow at the institute at the time, performed both surgeries. Both errors were corrected immediately, and the patients suffered no lasting harm.⁵

In early 2017, the Florida Board of Medicine’s Probable Cause Panel voted unanimously to drop both cases, ruling the allegations “groundless” because Dr. Paley had not performed the procedures. The assistant general counsel for the Department of Health acknowledged there was no evidence that the practice’s structure contributed to the errors. Dr. Harris had already been separately investigated and cleared. No reprimand, fine, or license restriction was imposed on Dr. Paley. He stated he had “tightened up” preoperative safety procedures at the institute following the incidents.⁵⁶

IMED Surgical Trade Secrets Suit, Dismissed in 2024

Not every lawsuit involving Dr. Paley has come from patients. In October 2020, IMED Surgical, LLC filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida against Dr. Paley, Orthex LLC (a subsidiary of OrthoPediatrics), OrthoPediatrics Corp., and Squadron Capital, LLC. IMED alleged that its founder, Tamer Işın, had developed a novel external fixation system and shared trade secrets and technical know-how with Dr. Paley under a consulting agreement, and that Dr. Paley then misappropriated those innovations to duplicate IMED’s patented technologies, specifically the Adam Frame External Fixation System and associated software, and fraudulently filed a U.S. patent claiming the work as his own. IMED alleged the disputed technology was later transferred to Orthex, which OrthoPediatrics acquired for $60 million in 2019.⁷

The federal case was voluntarily dismissed shortly after filing for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. IMED refiled in Florida state court in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Broward County, listing the amount in controversy at over $100,000 and demanding a jury trial. The case was assigned to the Complex Business and Tort Division. After roughly four years of litigation, the court entered a final order of dismissal without prejudice on September 20, 2024. IMED filed a motion for rehearing four days later, but no further rulings appear on the docket, and the case is listed as closed.⁸

Where the Pending Cases Stand

All of the malpractice lawsuits filed in 2024 and 2025 remain in their early stages. None of the allegations have been tested at trial, and the defendants have not publicly responded to the claims. The Chapman case is the furthest along, with a jury trial window scheduled for March through May 2026 after several defendants rejected the arbitration award.

1
Boca Post. Palm Beach County Man Sues Orthopedic Surgeon and Paley Institute Over Alleged Unnecessary Limb Lengthening Procedure
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Boca Post. Palm Beach County Man Sues Two Physicians, Paley Orthopedic Spine Institute Over Knee Surgery
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Boca Post. Patient Sues Paley Orthopedic Spine Institute and Surgeon Over Knee Surgery Complications
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UniCourt. Chapman, Jennifer Marie v. Paley, Dror MD
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Orlando Sentinel. State Medical Board Drops Wrong-Site Complaints Against South Florida Surgeon
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Sun Sentinel. Limb-Lengthening Doctor Faces State Complaint
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OrthoSpineNews. IMED Surgical Files Federal Lawsuit Against Orthex, Dror Paley, OrthoPediatrics and Squadron Capital
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UniCourt. IMED Surgical LLC v. Dror Paley LLC, et al.