Stella Immanuel, the doctor in the Trump-endorsed COVID-19 disinformation video, was accused of medical malpractice in a lawsuit after one of her patients died in 2019

• The doctor in the COVID-19 disinformation video endorsed by President Donald Trump was accused of medical malpractice in a recent lawsuit, the Houston Chronicle reported on Wednesday.
• Citing court documents, the Chronicle said Dr. Stella Immanuel was sued in Louisiana after a woman died shortly after leaving her care in 2019.
• Immanuel shot to prominence on Monday after the president, his son Donald Trump Jr., and Madonna shared versions of a video of her touting an unproven coronavirus treatment.
• In the video, Immanuel says that wearing masks isn't effective and that hydroxychloroquine could cure COVID-19. Scientists have debunked both of those claims.
• There is no cure for COVID-19, and the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for use in coronavirus patients.

Stella Immanuel, the doctor in the COVID-19 disinformation video endorsed by President Donald Trump, was accused of medical malpractice in a recent lawsuit over a patient's death.

Citing court documents, the Houston Chronicle reported on Wednesday that Immanuel was sued in Louisiana after a woman died shortly after leaving Immanuel's care.

According to the Chronicle, the lawsuit said the patient, identified as Leslie Norvell, had complained that a needle broke off in her arm while she was doing meth in 2019. It alleges that Immanuel and another doctor prescribed her medication but did not examine her arm closely and that Immanuel ignored Norvell's complaints.

Norvell went home and later, because of the pain, went to a hospital, where a surgeon removed the broken needle. She died six days later.

Immanuel rose to prominence this week after Trump tweeted a version of a video of her and a group of doctors calling themselves America's Frontline Doctors. The group, backed by the conservative Tea Party Patriots, has been critical of lockdown restrictions and other public-health measures.

In the video, they endorsed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19 and said wearing masks wasn't effective. Scientists have debunked both of those claims.

Other high-profile figures shared versions of the video on social media this week. Twitter temporarily limited Donald Trump Jr's account, saying it was for "spreading misleading or potentially harmful information." Instagram labeled a video of Immanuel posted by the pop singer Madonna as "false information."

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter took down the video, prompting the president to retweet accusations of censorship.

Trump has for months touted hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID-19 treatment. In May, he said he was taking it as a precaution.

The Food and Drug Administration in late March temporarily approved the drug for use in severe coronavirus cases, but it withdrew the waiver on June 15 after finding evidence that it could have harmful side effects. As of mid-June, the US government had more than 60 million surplus tablets in storage, The New York Times reported.

"Nobody needs to get sick," Immanuel said in the video, first broadcast by Breitbart, adding that "this virus has a cure." There is no cure for COVID-19.

The Daily Beast also reported this week that Immanuel holds several bizarre beliefs about sex and religion.

For example, Immanuel said in a 2013 church sermon that gynecological issues like cysts and endometriosis were a result of people dreaming about having sex with demons and witches.

On Wednesday, Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for Trump, interviewed Immanuel on his radio show and told her she was his "hero."