Woman claims surgeon talked on cellphone during operation

A suburban New York City woman has sued a doctor, claiming he used his cellphone to take a language test while operating on her.

The Journal News reports 70-year-old Mary Edwards, of Port Chester, filed a lawsuit Monday in state Supreme Court against Dr. Eric Fishman and his employer, Westmed Medical Group. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

Fishman performed surgery on Edwards to fix varicose veins twice in 2017. According to the lawsuit, Edwards claims Fishman had a conversation in Spanish on his cellphone during the second outpatient procedure.

Edwards’ attorney says his client was terrified for the rest of the operation. Edwards claims Fishman later explained he was taking a Spanish proficiency test during the surgery.

A Westmed spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation.