ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Mayo Clinic’s former director of research operations is suing the Rochester-based medical giant.
A federal lawsuit filed this week centers on alleged retaliation against Traci Tamiko Eto for concerns she raised over Mayo’s use of AI—artificial intelligence.
According to the civil complaint, Eto’s standing at Mayo Clinic became a “casualty” when she pushed back, with her job being terminated late last year.
The allegations by Eto
The suit, filed on Monday in Minnesota’s U.S. District Court, stated Eto was hired in Dec. 2023.
“Over the next 18 months, Eto would uncover a disturbing set of flaws in Mayo’s AI compass,” the complaint said. “It started with gaps in the protection of patient privacy; exemptions from institutional review protocols regarding privacy were exploited much too freely.”
Eto, according to court records, was designated as the leader of Mayo’s efforts to align with new federal guidance to establish security and privacy-based safeguards for the country’s growing AI sector.
She oversaw 36 employees and three managers in the role, per details in the complaint.
A former Mayo Clinic employee says the medical giant ignored federal standards in lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court.(KTTC)
“Eto observed other fundamental lapses that included manipulation of data to conceal unfavorable outcomes, deployment of a software tool without proper oversight, and in one instance, the authorization of a cardiac surgical procedure without adequate institutional review; and a propensity for evading the federally mandated institutional review process,” the filing continued.
As cited in the complaint, Eto claimed Mayo Clinic was resistant to her concerns because they “would jeopardize the pace of ongoing research projects, which in turn would compromise Mayo’s competitive advantage.”
In the spring of 2025, Eto “was warned that she had been targeted for termination” and put on a performance improvement plan, based on information included in the legal documents.
After returning from medical leave in Sept. 2025, Eto was told her position was being eliminated in a restructuring plan, the complaint stated, with her employment officially ending on Dec. 1.
From Eto’s legal team
Eto, who lives in Alabama, is being represented by HKM Employment Attorneys, with an office in Minneapolis.
KTTC reached out to HKM Wednesday for comment on the lawsuit.
“The Mayo Clinic made the deliberate choice to put profit first, over patient privacy, and in one egregious instance, patient safety,” said attorney Artur Davis, one of the leads of the case. “By sounding the alarm when Mayo’s AI mission lost its way, Traci Tamiko Eto valiantly made herself, her career, and her reputation a target. She is standing up to corporate immorality and arrogance.”
From Mayo Clinic
KTTC also reached out to Mayo Clinic for its response to this week’s federal filing.
A spokesperson provided a statement late Wednesday.
“Mayo Clinic is committed to the responsible development and deployment of AI, with privacy, security, transparency and compliance embedded throughout our processes,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Our research and clinical innovation are conducted in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and we remain steadfast in upholding the trust patients place in us and respecting their privacy. Mayo Clinic does not comment on pending or active litigation.”
What’s at stake?
According to the lawsuit, Mayo Clinic violated Eto’s rights under the False Claims Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Eto is seeking financial compensation for wages and emotional distress, along withe punitive damages.
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