A new federal lawsuit claims that a failure to properly diagnose and treat abnormal liver test results led to the death of a North Carolina man from stage four liver cancer. The complaint was filed on April 7, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina by Lora Ann Jones, administrator of the estate of Jerry Rex Jones, against the United States of America.
According to the filing, Lora Ann Jones was appointed as administrator of her late husband’s estate on May 3, 2024. The complaint centers on care provided by Dr. Nicholas J. Placentra at High Country Community Health (HCCH), which is described as a non-profit, federally supported health center located in Watauga County. The plaintiff alleges that Dr. Placentra was acting within the scope of his employment with HCCH during all relevant times.
The legal action is brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act and related statutes after administrative remedies were exhausted. The complaint states that an initial claim for damages was filed with the appropriate federal agency on May 13, 2024, but denied on April 7, 2025. A request for reconsideration was submitted on May 12, 2025, and ultimately denied by final determination letter dated January 30, 2026.
The factual allegations detail several visits by Jerry Rex Jones to Dr. Placentra between April 2022 and March 2023 for wellness checks and lab work at HCCH. On April 20, 2022, Mr. Jones underwent routine lab work that revealed elevated liver function tests (LFTs). Dr. Placentra documented these abnormalities and diagnosed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis but did not order further imaging or refer Mr. Jones to a specialist.
The complaint continues that similar findings occurred during follow-up visits on November 15, 2022 and March 29, 2023—each time showing abnormal LFTs without additional diagnostic steps or referrals being made by Dr. Placentra. In early April 2023, Mr. Jones’s wife called Dr. Placentra reporting worsening symptoms including nausea and weakness.
On April 9, 2023, Mr. Jones was admitted to Wilkes Medical Center where imaging revealed a mass on his liver; he was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). He died from malignant stage four liver cancer on May 18, 2023.
The lawsuit asserts that Dr. Placentra owed Jerry Rex Jones duties consistent with professional standards for healthcare providers with similar training and experience in comparable communities at the time care was rendered: “Dr. Placentra owed a duty to Plaintiff’s Decedent to provide health care to him in accordance with the standards of practice among members of the same health care profession with similar training and experience situated in the same or similar communities at the time the health care was rendered.”
Specific breaches cited include failing to order appropriate diagnostic imaging after abnormal test results; failing to refer Mr. Jones to specialists; failing to develop an adequate follow-up plan; not exercising reasonable care or best judgment; and not providing healthcare according to applicable standards.
Plaintiff further certifies compliance with North Carolina procedural rules requiring review by an expert witness who is willing to testify that “the medical care as described herein did not comply with the applicable standard of care.”
As relief from the court, plaintiff requests compensatory damages totaling $1 million dollars plus costs of action and interest against defendant United States of America; recovery of attorney fees if allowable by law; trial by jury; and any other relief deemed just and proper by the court.
Attorneys F. William DeVore IV (NC State Bar #39633) and Shelby L. Gilmer (NC State Bar #60889) of DAS Law Group represent the plaintiff in this matter under case number 5:26-cv-82.
Source: 526cv00082_Jones_v_United_States_of_America_Complaint_Western_District_North_Carolina.pdf
