A Washington state jury awarded $24 million to the family of Michael Trujillo, a Colorado electrician who died in 2019 after a botched stem cell injection for ALS at the now-closed Seattle Stem Cell Center. The unanimous verdict blamed negligence: no fluoroscopic imaging guidance during the spinal procedure while he was on blood thinners (Coumadin), causing dura puncture, spinal/brain bleeding, and fatal herniation the next day.
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What Happened
- Trujillo (diagnosed with ALS in 2017) saw the clinic’s online ads claiming stem cells could treat it (no FDA approval exists; ALS Association confirms).
- Flew from Colorado for free consult and first IV treatment (Feb 2019); returned for second epidural injection (April 2019).
- Clinic owner Dr….