Three OR Leaders Sue OSF Hospital Over Surgeons Who Left Patients Under Anesthesia

When Tina Peppers warned the hospital's chief medical officer that a neurosurgeon had worked through the previous night and completed a full day of surgeries, and that proceeding with another operation would be dangerous, she received a clear answer.

The surgery went ahead anyway. His response, she said later, was: "We can't afford to lose another surgeon."

What the Lawsuit Alleges

Three former operating room leaders at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois filed a whistleblower lawsuit on Tuesday in Winnebago County Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs — Sofia Gudino, a former operating room manager; Tina Peppers, a former director of surgical services; and Cindamon Proffitt, a former operating room manager — worked at the hospital between 2018 and 2025. They are represented by Jeffrey Law Office and brought their case under the Illinois Whistleblower Act.

The 18-page complaint alleges that beginning in late 2023, the trio became aware of what they describe as repeated and dangerous safety violations within the hospital's neurosurgery service line. They allege they reported those violations through every available channel — Midas incident reports, OSF's Integrity Line, human resources, quality and safety officials and senior leadership — and that nothing was done.

According to Fox News Digital, "Despite repeated reports, no investigations were initiated, no corrective actions taken, and the unsafe behavior continued," the lawsuit states.

📰 Related: Blocked COVID Vaccine Study Finds a Home in JAMA

The Specific Incidents Named in the Complaint

The allegations are detailed and dated.

On October 12, 2023, a neurosurgeon was observed falling asleep against a surgical microscope during a procedure. Peppers had warned the chief medical officer beforehand that the surgeon had worked late the previous night and was already through a full day of operations. The surgery proceeded regardless.

On February 3, 2025, two neurosurgeons left a patient under general anesthesia on an operating room table for approximately one hour, according to the complaint. On April 17, 2025, another doctor left an anesthetised patient to attend a meeting that lasted 37 minutes.

The complaint also alleges broader systemic failures: surgeons directing staff to skip or falsify pre-operative checklists, refusing proper timeouts and debriefings, breaches of sterile technique, incomplete surgical counts, use of unapproved medical equipment including a synaptive tractography system, and hostile and erratic behaviour toward nursing staff who raised concerns.

"Every step that we took and measure that we took was to ensure that the outcomes of our patients were the best that they could be," Gudino told WIFR.

📰 Related: A Blood Test That Screens for Dozens of Cancers May Be Near

What Happened When They Reported It

According to the complaint, the response from hospital leadership was not corrective action — it was retaliation.

The plaintiffs allege they were warned to stop filing reports, excluded from meetings, stripped of decision-making authority and assigned disproportionate neurosurgery-only duties. Supportive colleagues, they allege, were warned to stay silent.

Proffitt, who served as operating room manager from 2018 through 2025, described the experience as deeply affecting. "It's been really emotional," she said at a press conference. "It's just hard. You want to do the right thing for the patients."

The CMO's response to Peppers — that the hospital could not afford to lose another surgeon — is quoted directly in the complaint and represents, the plaintiffs allege, the institutional calculation that was being made against patient safety.

The lawsuit seeks damages for the retaliation and alleged violations of the Illinois Whistleblower Act. It is not a patient harm claim — none of the named plaintiffs are patients — but a claim brought by employees who say they were punished for protecting patients.

📰 Related: PwC Report Says AI Is Pushing Medical Bills Higher

OSF Saint Anthony Has Not Commented

OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. No statement has been issued by OSF HealthCare, the parent system.

All allegations in the lawsuit are claims that have not been proven in court. OSF will have full opportunity to respond to the complaint. No regulatory action by the Illinois Department of Public Health or the Joint Commission has been announced in connection with the case.

The case now moves into the Winnebago County court system. Whether it triggers external regulatory scrutiny of the hospital's neurosurgery service line will depend on what, if any, referrals are made by the court or by the plaintiffs' attorneys to state or federal oversight bodies.

Key Takeaways

• Three former OR leaders — Sofia Gudino, Tina Peppers and Cindamon Proffitt — filed a whistleblower lawsuit against OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois on June 23, 2026.

• The complaint alleges neurosurgeons abandoned anesthetised patients on multiple occasions, including one instance where two surgeons left a patient for nearly one hour on February 3, 2025.

• A neurosurgeon was observed falling asleep during surgery on October 12, 2023 — after staff had warned the hospital it was unsafe to proceed.

• The plaintiffs allege leadership's response was to tell them to stop filing reports, citing a need to retain the surgeons.

• OSF Saint Anthony has declined to comment. The allegations are unproven; OSF will have opportunity to respond.

• The case is brought under the Illinois Whistleblower Act and seeks damages for retaliation — not patient harm claims.

Sources

• WIFR — Former Staff Say Doctors Endangered Patients at Rockford's OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center

• Fox News — Whistleblower Lawsuit Says Neurosurgeons Left Patients Anesthetized and Safety Concerns Ignored

• Becker's Spine Review — Former OSF Leaders Sue Hospital Over Neurosurgery Safety Concerns

Also Read

• Postpartum Hemorrhage Kills 43,000 Women a Year — and 95% of Deaths Are Preventable

• Countertop Workers Are Dying From Quartz Dust

• Unsafe Food Kills 1.5 Million People a Year, WHO Warns