Arredondo

A minor sued a healthcare provider for medical malpractice but lost on the ground that her action was time-barred. (Code Civ. Proc., § 340.5.) The minor appeals, conceding her injury manifested itself more than three years before she initiated these proceedings, but claiming her cause of action did not accrue until a later date when she discovered the allegedly negligent cause of her injury. We disagree, and conclude that a minor plaintiff (as is the rule for an adult plaintiff) has lost her right to sue if she has not filed suit within three years of the date of manifestation of her injury, notwithstanding that she might not have discovered the negligent cause of that injury.

FACTS

Lourdes A. Arredondo was seven years old when she had her fourth brain surgery for a recurring benign tumor. Although Lourdes had awakened immediately after the first three surgeries, she showed clear signs of impairment after the fourth surgery (performed on May 1, 1998, at the UCLA Medical Center). On May 2, Lourdes had trouble breathing and was reintubated. Her condition deteriorated during May, and another surgery was performed on June 5. By June 23, Lourdes was “obtunded” (mentally…