A Southern California woman seeking to trim excess pounds courtesy of a lap-band procedure has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a group of physicians who promote themselves via billboards, printed fliers, radio and television advertisements and a 1-800-GET-THIN telephone number.

According to the complaint, Bridget S. called the aforementioned 800 number in the spring of 2008, and was referred to the defendants' medical office in Beverly Hills.

Here, she met with a Dr. Julian O. who conducted a pre-surgery assessment, weighing and measuring her.

(Unbeknownst to Bridget S., "Dr." Julian O. had his medical license revoked the previous year for various reasons, including what her complaint characterizes as "fraudulently misrepresent[ing] the educational institutions he attended on his medical license application.")

Bridget S. successfully underwent the lap-band procedure on April 17, 2008 by a physician not named in the medical malpractice suit.

However, she soon began experiencing pain, nausea and acid reflux, and went to several follow-up appointments with a Dr. Kevork T., whom she alleges "refused to perform a fluoroscopy or endoscopy, and instead prescribed Protonix, an acid-reflux medication."

(Once again, unbeknownst to Bridget S., Dr. Kevork T. was then under investigation by the Medical Board of California for "gross negligence" involving the care of three patients, two of whom died.)

Still suffering from gastric discomfort, Bridget S. sought a second opinion from the physician who had performed the original lap-band procedure.

Shockingly, he informed her that the lap-band had slipped and would need to be corrected via surgery.

Bridget S. once again underwent a surgical procedure on April 16, 2010, and was told by the surgeon afterward that the lap band had actually eroded, cutting into her stomach and causing damage that required suturing.

In her medical malpractice suit, Bridget S. alleges that Dr. Kevork T. made improper adjustments to her lap band "so as to cause it to slip, and then misdiagnosed her condition as 'reflux' and refused to perform an endoscopy or other procedure to check the placement and condition of the lap band, causing permanent damage to the plaintiff's stomach wall."

She also claims that the botched procedure has made it difficult for her to consume solid foods.

Her suit names Dr. Kevork T., Julian O., another physician, a medical group and 1-800-GET-SLIM and Weight Loss Centers as defendants, and is seeking both damages and medical expenses.

Stay tuned for more from our Texas medical malpractice blog ...

If you lost a loved one to what you believe was physician negligence or were seriously injured by a surgical error, you should strongly consider contacting an experienced legal professional.

This post was for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal or medical advice. Names have been withheld to protect the identity of the parties.

Related Resources:

Medical complaint is catalogue of horrors (Courthouse News Service)