New suit is filed against dancing cosmetic surgeon, this time for alleged privacy violation
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An Atlanta-area dermatologist who posted videos of herself singing and dancing during cosmetic surgery has settled four malpractice suits, including one by a woman who suffered permanent brain damage following surgery.
Susan Witt, a lawyer representing the the injured woman and two other former patients, told CNN that she has been contacted by nearly 100 former patients of Dr. Windell Boutte since the videos received widespread publicity. At least two of the women said they were able to identify themselves in the videos in which she dances and sings in the operating room. The videos have since been deleted from YouTube, but are still visible through WSB-TV in Atlanta.
One of the women, Amanda Phillips, filed a lawsuit last week in DeKalb County, Georgia, claiming that Boutte invaded her privacy by posting photos of her exposed body without her permission, AJC.com reports. The suit also claims Phillips had open wounds from liposuction surgery that left permanent scars.
The suit by the woman who suffered brain damage, Icilma Cornelius, said she visited the doctor for wrinkle treatment and agreed to a surgical makeover that would give her a flat stomach, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported in a joint investigation with WSB-TV. The suit says Cornelius’ heart stopped after eight hours of surgery, and lack of oxygen caused damage that left her unable to care for herself.
Boutte said in a deposition that she didn’t report the Cornelius case to the medical board because she did not believe the “adverse event” was caused by the surgery.
The malpractice settlement is confidential.
Boutte and her lawyer did not respond to interview requests by the publications.
