Clear Lake hospital named in malpractice suit

A Fort Bend couple claims a Cy-Fair doctor performed unnecessary surgeries at a Clear Lake hospital.

Bobby and Stefanie Stanley filed a lawsuit April 26 in Harris County District Court against Dr. Norman Jose Justo Torres and the Greater Houston Neurosurgery Center.

According to the complaint, Bobby Stanley went to see Dr. Torres at the Clear Lake hospital in January 2009 looking for a second opinion on his neck and back pain. Stanley says he had previously undergone cervical discectomy and fusion with hardware, performed by a different surgeon. Stanley claims Dr. Torres recommended removing the hardware previously installed and reapplying others to another area of the patient's spine.

Stanley says he underwent three surgeries by Dr. Torres to remove and redo the instrumentation, all of which, he alleges, were unnecessary.

The Stanleys accuse Dr. Torres and the Houston Neurosurgery Center of negligence for performing procedures that were allegedly not needed to properly treat Bobby Stanley's condition. Stefanie Stanley is also suing for loss of consortium. The couple is asking for an unspecified amount of money in damages for medical expenses and court costs.

Attorney Leland M. Irwin, of Richmond, is representing the Stanleys.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2011-25317.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.