Trevor Noah sues New York City hospital and doctor alleging 'negligence' that caused 'permanent' and 'severe' injuries, complaint says

• Trevor Noah filed a lawsuit against Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Riley J. Williams III.
• Court documents obtained by Insider showed that Noah underwent surgery on November 23, 2020.

Trevor Noah filed a lawsuit against a hospital and surgeon in New York that said he underwent a botched surgical procedure.

Attorneys representing "The Daily Show" host filed the complaint in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan against Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Riley J. Williams III on November 22, court documents obtained by Insider showed.

The complaint said Noah, 37, was Williams' patient from August 25, 2020, to December 17, 2020, and underwent surgery performed by Williams at the hospital on November 23, 2020. In the court documents, Noah's attorneys accused the defendants of acting in a "negligent and careless manner" that "constituted professional negligence."

"Defendants, their agents, servants and/or employees, were negligent and careless in failing to treat and care for plaintiff Trevor C. Noah in a careful and skillful manner," the documents said.

In the court documents, Noah's attorneys said the defendants failed to diagnose and properly treat his condition, prescribe the proper medication, discontinue certain prescription medications, and use proper examinations to diagnose the condition.

As a result, Noah has "sustained permanent, severe and grievous injuries," and he was rendered "sick, sore, lame, and disabled," court documents said. The complaint added that Noah experienced "severe and painful personal injuries."

Noah "sustained severe nervous shock, mental anguish, severe emotional distress and great physical pain; was confined to bed and home for a long period of time; was compelled to undergo hospital and medical aid, treatment and attention; has suffered loss of enjoyment of life; was prevented from engaging in his usual occupation for a long period of time; and since some of his injuries are of a permanent nature, he will continue to suffer similar damages in the future," the court documents continued.

It's unclear what the surgery was for, but a page for Williams on the hospital's website described him as an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee, shoulder, and elbow surgery.

Representatives for Williams and Noah did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Hospital for Special Surgery denied the claims made in the lawsuit. In a statement sent to Insider, it said:

"HSS received a complaint filed on behalf of Mr. Trevor Noah. We have shared with Mr. Noah's attorney a detailed rebuttal to the claims, which are meritless. Due to HIPAA we are restricted by law from addressing publicly specific aspects of the treatment of any patient. HSS is committed to excellence in the care we provide to each of the more than 150,000 patients we treat each year. This commitment has made HSS the world's leading academic medical center specialized in musculoskeletal health, consistently ranked #1 in orthopedics globally and nationally."

Court documents did not indicate that Noah had asked for specific damages.