JONESBORO, GEORGIA — Cassandra Barksdale filed a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente in 2025 alleging that a lab sample mix-up led to a misdiagnosis of uterine cancer, resulting in an unnecessary hysterectomy and permanent injury. The complaint seeks at least $10,000 in damages and a jury trial for the medical negligence it attributes to the healthcare provider.

Barksdale sought treatment for heavy bleeding and uterine fibroids at Kaiser Permanente Southwood Comprehensive Medical Center in Jonesboro, Georgia, in early 2025. She underwent an endometrial tissue biopsy on March 10, 2025, to determine the cause of her symptoms.

On March 17, 2025, Barksdale received biopsy results diagnosing her with high-grade, aggressive endometrial uterine cancer. The lawsuit states another patient's tissue sample was mistakenly labeled as belonging to Barksdale, leading to the incorrect diagnosis.

Following the diagnosis, she underwent a CT scan which showed no evidence of cancer or spread of cancer. Despite these imaging results, she was referred to a doctor at Northside Hospital Atlanta who recommended a total hysterectomy based on the pathology reports.

Barksdale underwent a full hysterectomy on May 15, 2025. The surgery included the removal of her cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, as well as four lymph nodes. After the procedure, she was told she would receive instructions about chemotherapy.

Pathology reports after the surgery showed no signs of cancer or malignancy in the entire endometrial cavity. In September 2025, DNA analysis determined the cancerous tissue sample belonged to a different patient. Barksdale was informed in September 2025 that the diagnosis was incorrect.

On September 23, 2025, Kaiser Permanente administrators admitted to Barksdale that DNA testing revealed the cancerous tissue belonged to someone else, Atlanta. The frequency of pathology sample mislabeling or mix-ups during medical testing is not definitively known,

The lawsuit names Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company as defendants. It alleges that lab technicians who handled Barksdale's sample are liable and that the tissue sample was mishandled by employees at Kaiser Permanente before being sent to the lab.

The lawsuit states the tissue sample was submitted to Quest Diagnostics for pathology, but Quest Diagnostics is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Information about the other patient involved in the sample mix-up is not publicly available due to privacy laws.

Barksdale alleged negligence and claimed she suffered sustained, permanent, and irreversible injuries. She described the emotional toll the ordeal took on her family, including the impact on her children.

"My sons went into a deep depression," Barksdale said. She stated she made funeral plans with her sons after receiving the initial diagnosis.

"I even started making funeral plans with them to let them know, you know, if I don't make it out, this is what I want done," Barksdale said. Attorney Shannan Young stated that every step taken after the misdiagnosis was based on misinformation.

"She came into Kaiser Permanente looking for answers, and she left with a diagnosis that did not belong to her. And every step that was taken after that was based off of misinformation," Young said. She stated that accountability requires more than an apology when negligence harms a person.

"There’s no amount of money that’s going to return back to her, her healthy organs, or erase the experiences and the pain that she’s had. But our justice system recognizes that when somebody’s negligence harms another person, accountability requires more than ‘I’m sorry,’" she said.

Kaiser Permanente issued a statement acknowledging the error and stating Ms. Barksdale should not have experienced this. The organization noted that it has highly trained staff and thorough processes in place to prevent such errors.

"Ms. Barksdale should not have experienced this. We have highly trained staff and very thorough processes in place to prevent errors like this from taking place. After this occurred last year, we took immediate steps to ensure it could not happen again. We realize the impact of this incident and are committed to working with Ms. Barksdale and her counsel to resolve this in the most fair and accountable way we can," a Kaiser Permanente representative said.

The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages in addition to the minimum monetary request. The case shows the potential consequences of laboratory errors in diagnostic medicine, where a single mislabeled sample can lead to irreversible surgical intervention. Barksdale underwent the removal of multiple reproductive organs and lymph nodes based on a diagnosis that DNA evidence later proved was incorrect. The lawsuit seeks to establish liability for the permanent physical and emotional injuries resulting from the mix-up.

Kaiser Permanente acknowledged the error and stated it took immediate steps to prevent recurrence, though the specific nature of those steps was not detailed in the public statement. The identity of the patient whose tissue was mistakenly attributed to Barksdale remains undisclosed due to privacy laws. The frequency of such pathology sample mislabeling incidents is not definitively known, leaving the broader scope of the issue unclear.

Why It Matters

This case shows the irreversible physical and emotional consequences of laboratory sample mislabeling, as a diagnostic error led to the unnecessary removal of healthy organs. The lawsuit seeks to establish that financial accountability is required when negligence causes permanent injury that an apology cannot undo. It also brings attention to the ripple effects on families, who suffered psychological distress after preparing for a terminal illness based on incorrect information.