Semien Et Al vs. Laboratory Corporation Of America Et Al

Case Background

On October 1, 2020, Plaintiff Karla Semien and others filed a Medical malpractice lawsuit in the United States District Court, Louisiana Western (Case number: 2:20cv1284). Judge Thomas P LeBlanc presided over the case.

Cause

In August 2019, Karla Semien took her 10-year-old daughter, MDS, to the Southwest Louisiana Oberlin Clinic. MDS needed a doctor's note to use the bathroom more frequently at school due to bladder incontinence. Nurse practitioner Colleen Unkel examined MDS and requested a urine sample. Nurse Abby Walker collected the urine sample from a cabinet between the bathroom and the lab. She performed a dipstick urinalysis on the specimen labeled with MDS's name. The test revealed a large amount of blood in the urine, prompting Unkel to send the sample to LabCorp for further testing. LabCorp's results matched the clinic's initial test. Additional testing by LabCorp revealed Spermatozoa in the specimen. LabCorp rechecked and confirmed these results due to MDS's young age and subsequently informed Unkel of their findings. Unkel called MDS's parents to discuss the results. As a mandatory reporter, she had to report suspected abuse of a minor. Mr. Semien, a sheriff's deputy, agreed to report the issue to local authorities. An investigation ensued, with authorities suspecting either Mr. Semien o