Winnipeg man sues plasma company, alleges kidney injury during donation

A plasma collection company is being sued by a Winnipeg man who claims he was injured while making a donation in 2023.

The man donated blood plasma at a Grifols facility on Taylor Avenue, operated by Canadian Plasma Resources, on the morning of July 15, 2023.

He filed a lawsuit in the Court of King’s Bench in July 2025, alleging he suffered an acute kidney injury as a direct result of the donation.

The firm has denied responsibility for any of his alleged injuries in a statement of defence and asked for the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

“The plaintiff… states that as a result of the procedure, he has sustained non-reversible and permanent injuries arising from the (acute kidney injury), which significantly increases the likelihood that the plaintiff will suffer long-term complications… including, but not limited to, the development of chronic kidney disease, in his lifetime,” reads his statement of claim.

The company being sued has made international headlines in recent days after two people died after giving plasma at Grifols Plasma Donation Centres in Winnipeg, including the location on Taylor Avenue. Health Canada has committed to investigating the deaths, which occurred in October and January.

Health Canada has said no link has been made between the deaths and plasma donation, while Grifols has maintained it has no reason to believe there’s a correlation.

The man who filed the lawsuit, a Canadian Armed Forces aircraft maintenance technician who was 43 at the time he filed the court papers, alleges he started to feel sick about an hour after he left the facility.

He said in his court filing he experienced flu-like symptoms, blood in his urine, and later, abdominal pain, before he went to a hospital in an ambulance.

He alleges he called the facility after he began to feel sick and asked if the symptoms were something he should be concerned about, but an employee said they were unaware of anything that could cause those symptoms and advised him to drink water and seek medical help, if he felt worse.

The man claims Canadian Plasma Resources then emailed him later on the day of the incident, while he was at St. Boniface Hospital, to tell him that some of the red blood cells removed in the procedure had been “broken” during the process, then erroneously cycled back into his body due to a machine error.

The man’s court papers say hospital staff determined he had suffered the kidney injury as a result of the red blood cells being returned to his body at the donation facility.

He remained in the hospital, where he was treated for the injury, which included taking intravenous fluids and electrolytes and repeated blood work, for more than a week, the lawsuit claims.

He was required to return to the hospital on a weekly, then monthly basis for blood work until December 2023 to monitor the functioning of his kidneys, his court papers say.

He continued feeling ill after he was released from hospital and could not return to work for a month. His fatigue and low energy levels continued for about six months after the donation, he says.

The plaintiff claims his doctor advised that he will require monitoring of the functioning of his kidneys every year for an “indefinite” period.

The lawsuit accuses the company and its employees of negligence and breaching their duty of care.

Canadian Plasma Resources Corporation, operating as Grifols, claims the man was fully informed of the risks and side effects of the procedure and provided consent.

The man was given “literature on the procedure,” which he read and understood, says the company’s statement of defence, filed in September.

The company claims the man had donated plasma at the facility at least 12 times before the day he’s alleged to have suffered an injury.

The statement of defence denies the company or its employees were negligent.

The procedure, the company’s court papers say, was conducted in a “safe and prudent manner,” with employees following all relevant regulations, policies and protocols.

The company denies the plaintiff suffered any injuries — but if he did, says the injuries weren’t caused by the company or its employees. Rather, any injuries were the result of the man’s pre-existing or unforeseen conditions, the defence filing claims.

The company’s court papers claim the man was given the opportunity to ask questions about the procedure at the July 2023 and other visits and that his questions were answered.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca