A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court claims Sharp HealthCare surreptitiously recorded conversations between patients and clinicians during medical appointments using an artificial intelligence tool called Abridge, without notifying patients or securing their consent.  

According to the complaint, Sharp began using the AI app in April 2025 to capture exam-room dialogues and generate draft clinical notes. The lawsuit asserts the technology captured comprehensive details, including symptoms, diagnoses, and personal information, and transmitted the audio to external servers where vendor personnel could access it. Patients were allegedly not informed that their visits were being recorded and were not allowed to consent or opt out, as required under California all-party consent laws.  

The filing also alleges that medical records were inaccurately documented to state that patients had been notified about the recordings and had given their consent, even when they had not. Plaintiff Jose Saucedo discovered the recording only after reviewing his medical notes from a July appointment. He was later told by clinic staff that the audio file would remain on the vendor’s servers for about a month before deletion.

Attorneys representing the plaintiff argue that the practice violates state privacy and medical information confidentiality laws and are seeking statutory damages, corrections to affected medical records, and a court order blocking the use of the AI tool without proper consent. The lawsuit estimates that more than 100,000 patient encounters may have been recorded.