Jail Doctor Once Charged in Inmate's 2019 Death Agrees to Give Up Medical License

A doctor who once faced criminal charges over the death of an inmate at the Las Colinas jail in Santee has agreed to surrender her medical license, according to disciplinary records.

Friederike Von Lintig's license had already been suspended. Medical board documents dated earlier this month show she agreed to the surrender, which takes effect Friday.

The Medical Board of California had accused Von Lintig of gross negligence in her care of 24-year-old Elisa Serna, who died in the jail's medical observation unit on Nov. 11, 2019. The board's accusation refers to Serna as Patient A. Serna was experiencing symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal while in custody.

The board faulted Von Lintig for failing to appropriately manage the medical needs of a pregnant patient in active withdrawal. It also said she did not carry out an appropriate physical exam, work-up and treatment plan after being told twice on Nov. 11 that Serna was in medical distress.

According to the accusation, Von Lintig saw Serna that morning and wrongly noted in her chart that she had completed treatment for alcohol and heroin withdrawal. She did not perform a physical exam after Serna complained of frequent vomiting.

That afternoon, Serna had what her family and prosecutors describe as a seizure. Von Lintig concluded it was not a "true seizure," but said she could not rule out a medical cause for the patient's weakness and fainting spells. During a second seizure that afternoon, the accusation alleges, Von Lintig watched Serna briefly on a video monitor, did not evaluate her and left the jail for the day.

Von Lintig was earlier charged with involuntary manslaughter in Serna's death. An El Cajon jury could not agree on whether to convict or acquit her, and prosecutors later dropped the case. Jurors acquitted a jail nurse, Danalee Pascua, of involuntary manslaughter.

Serna's mother, Paloma Serna, said the family was "pleased" by the news. "Knowing that she will never cause harm, or another death of a person is a great relief. The community is a little bit safer now. My daughter Elisa deserved better medical treatment but was denied it," she said.

The surrender comes about a month after the medical board revoked the license of another jail doctor, Carol Ann Gilmore, over her treatment of Serna.

Serna's family also filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit. San Diego County and one of its health care contractors settled the case earlier this year, agreeing to pay $15 million to the family. The settlement also includes non-monetary terms requiring the county to improve training for jail personnel and revise protocols for inmates receiving medical care.