A ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet has alleged that the ballet advised her to perform through hip pain, resulting in permanent bodily damage that hindered her long-term career as a ballerina, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
Ellen Hummel and her husband Hector Pernia filed the suit in San Francisco Superior Court against the San Francisco Ballet, the San Francisco Free Clinic, and clinic founder Dr. Richard Gibbs, alleging the defendants engaged in medical negligence.
Hummel joined the corps de ballet as a dancer in 2012, and was promoted to soloist in 2020. During her time with the ballet, she received care from the San Francisco Free Clinic, the suit said.
Around November 2022, Hummel suffered a hip injury. Instead of giving her time to heal, the suit alleges, she was provided pain killers and “repeated injections” to keep her performing. The failure to treat her injury appropriately, she alleges, “was careless and negligent,” resulting in severe long-term harm that has limited her career.
“They failed to advise that said advice to continue to dance, perform and rehearse, delay of certain needed treatment could and would destroy the integrity of her hips and legs,” reads the suit.
Hummel allegedly suffered “permanent injury to her hips” and “permanent limitation of motion, strength, and pain” as a result of continuing to perform without adequate treatment. Ultimately, due to the delay in proper care, according to the suit, she was forced to undergo a surgery known as a bilateral periacetabular osteotomy, a major surgery with significant downtime.
Hummel is seeking damages, including medical expenses and lost earnings. Gazetteer SF reached out to the clinic, the ballet, and Hummel and her attorneys, but did not immediately hear back. We will update the story with any new developments.
