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The Death of Kanye West’s Mother – Medical Malpractice

Posted on Nov 14, 2007 in Celebrity Justice, National Issues

Over the past few days, not only has the untimely death of Kanye West's mother been reported, but TMZ.COM has gone to great lengths to investigate the criminal and civil history of her plastic surgeon, Dr. Adams (BloomLegal has compiled this into a shockingly long list, shown below). Condolences to the West Family, and good luck to them in their medical malpractice claim against Dr. West -- which you know is coming.  And to think this guy appeared as a plastic surgery expert on Discovery Channel and on Oprah ... (check out his website). How can you protect yourself in these situations?  How do you know that you can trust your doctor? Medical Malpractice Suits Against Dr. Adams Lori Ufondu is suing for a surgical sponge left inside her chest during a breast augmentation; Rhonda McClain is suing for mental and physical and nervous pain and suffering during a breast augmentation leaving her with one implant; Teana Lucas is suing Dr. Adams for an improper liposuction as well as getting her drunk after surgery, having intercourse with her, getting her pregnant and then forcing her to get an abortion.  She's suing for sexual battery as well as medical malpractice (see below). Jana Bieghle is suing Dr. Adams and Euclid Outpatient Surgery Center for medical malpractice after a failed left breast capsulectomy resulted in her having both breast implants removed. Bonita Harvey is suing Dr. Adams for medical malpractice in a failed tummy tuck. Terry Cage is suing Dr. Adams for medical malpractice in a failed tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and liposuction procedure. Civil Cases Against Dr. Adams - Other Than Med Mal Deborah Pratt is suing for a restraining order to protect her and her sons from Dr. Adams' "Jekyll & Hyde personality when he is intoxicated." Teana Lucas is suing Dr. Adams for getting her drunk after surgery, having intercourse with her, getting her pregnant and then forcing her to get an abortion.  She's suing for sexual battery as well as medical malpractice (see above). Criminal History DUI convictions - 2002, 2006 (pled no contest). So, how can you check out your doctor before going under the knife? First, more and more counties are providing online access to their litigants' indexes.  Check out the web to see if you can search for the doctor's name -- as well as the clinic or hospital that will be involved in the procedure -- for civil suits that have been brought against them.  This will not give you information on cases that settled out of court (and lots of medical malpractice cases do so, just to prevent this public exposure), but may give you some very interesting information. Second, check the archives of the local newspaper for these same names.  Sometimes, cases that aren't filed are still the subject of news reports. Third, check with your state's medical board or association.  Every state has a licensing organization that oversees the medical profession.   Ask for their complaint division.  And, while you're there, confirm that the doctor is, indeed, board certified.  (Dr. Adams apparently portrayed himself to be Board Certified, but he wasn't.) Fourth, get a second opinion before undergoing anesthesia of any sort. Fifth, trust your gut.  If anything doesn't sit just right with you, don't ignore that inner warning. You don't want to have a medical malpractice case.  You want a successful surgery.�