SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A physician acquitted earlier this year in the 2019 jail death of a pregnant woman is surrendering her medical license.
Dr. Friederike Carla Von Lintig committed “gross negligence” while treating Elisa Serna, the Medical Board of California alleges in a disciplinary order posted on its website.
Serna, who is referred to as “Patient A” in board documents, died at the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee after suffering from withdrawal.
The board says Von Lintig incorrectly noted in Serna’s chart that the 24-year-old had completed treatment for alcohol and heroin withdrawal.
The doctor didn’t send her to the emergency room for treatment despite the fact Serna was pregnant and having fainting spells.
Heartbreaking video from a camera inside Serna’s cell before she died shows her struggling with consciousness and bouncing against the walls. She falls to the ground at times.
The medical board says jail staff were suspicious of the spells and thought the young mother might be faking them.
Von Lintig noted Serna had normal vital signs but didn’t document any in the patient’s chart, the board said, adding she didn’t complete a physical or neurological exam.
County pays family $15 million in settlement
The physician watched Serna on a video camera remotely but didn’t return to elevate her. Serna died in her cell, and her death was ruled as complications from substance abuse with early pregnancy.
In 2022, the District Attorney charged Von Lintig with involuntary manslaughter. A jury acquitted her and a nurse also charged in Serna’s death earlier this year.
Last October, the medical board alleged a second doctor, Dr. Carol Ann Gilmore, had committed “gross negligence” and failed to for Serna properly.
Gilmore disputed the board’s allegation and told Team 10 she decided to surrender her license to settle the case.
Team 10 reached out to Von Lintig’s attorneys for comment but received no response. She previously filed a defense contesting the medical board’s allegations against her.
In July, San Diego County agreed to pay $15 million to Serna’s family to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez said at the time in a statement that “Elisa Serna deserved better.”
