Settlement reached in suit against Champaign doctor who left part of a fetus inside patient during abortion

A lawsuit alleging a Champaign doctor performed a botched abortion was settled last month.

Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle was accused of leaving part of a fetus inside Michelle Hardy and puncturing a hole in her uterus while performing an abortion procedure at Champaign-based Equity Clinic in April 2023. When she started experiencing extreme cramping, Reisinger-Kindle allegedly told her to take Tylenol and laxatives.

Hardy sued Reisinger-Kindle and Equity Clinic in March 2025. They reached a settlement on July 8, according to court records.

Hardy’s lawyer at the Chicago firm McNabola & Associates declined to comment. Reisinger-Kindle’s lawyers at Pretzel & Stouffer did not respond to a request for comment.

Hardy, a mother of four, was about 22 weeks along when she sought an abortion from Reisinger-Kindle, according to her suit. Two days after the procedure, she went to the emergency when she was still experiencing cramps.

That’s when doctors found parts of the fetus in her right pelvis and surgically removed them. Doctors also found a hole in her uterus about the size of a quarter, according to the suit. Reisinger-Kindle allegedly refused to answer questions or share information with one of the surgeons who operated on Hardy.

In July 2025, Reisinger-Kindle was disciplined by the state and fined $5,000. He also had to complete 20 hours of continuing medical education for failing to properly evaluate a patient.