On August 4, 2026, the Texas Court of Appeals issued a decision in the case of Zafar v. Saghier, involving a dispute between two doctors at a shared medical practice. The incident at the center of the case occurred in April 2022 at their workplace.

According to Dr. Zafar, Dr. Saghier grabbed her hand "hard," referenced a rent-related issue, and struck her in the face. Zafar was subsequently taken to the hospital, where tests revealed a nasal fracture, though the age of the fracture was ambiguous and disputed.

Dr. Saghier denied ever touching Zafar or mentioning rent. Instead, she claimed that Zafar "pounded hard on the table," referenced a prior complaint Saghier had made about Zafar to the practice's leadership concerning damaged office items, and then screamed and accused Saghier of hitting her.

Police body-camera footage from the day showed Saghier explaining her version of events, requesting police to swab her hands and Zafar's nose to prove her innocence, and attempting to calm tensions between Zafar's and her own husbands, who arrived after the incident.

During the trial, Saghier testified that she had "two small kids" and was "the breadwinner of the family." She described the aftermath of the incident as traumatic, saying she "[c]ould not cry … [or] sleep" and "d[id]n't even know how to handle this." She found a psychiatrist with availability "the very next day" and scheduled an appointment. Psychiatrist records admitted at trial described her mental state.

Approximately two months after the incident, in June 2022, police issued a warrant for Saghier's arrest on felony aggravated assault charges.

The court's decision, authored by Justice Wade Birdwell and joined by Justices Mike Wallach and Brian Walker, addressed three main issues raised by Zafar: the sufficiency of evidence supporting compensatory damages for Saghier's criminal attorney's fees and mental anguish; the validity of exemplary damages based on the jury charge; and the trial court's discretion regarding leading questions posed by Saghier's counsel.

Saghier conceded that the awards for her criminal attorney's fees and future mental anguish lacked sufficient evidentiary support, necessitating a reduction of exemplary damages in line with statutory caps.

The case resulted in an award of approximately $550,000 related to the false accusation of a nose punch by a colleague.

Sources

  • Volokh, Eugene. "~$550K Award Related to Doctor's False Alleged Accusation of Nose Punch by Colleague." Reason, August 4, 2026. Link