8 more women come forward to file suit against Omaha family practitioner for botched cosmetic surgeries

Family physician Gerard Stanley of the Sculpt Contemporary Cosmetic Surgery Clinic

Eight more women have come forward to file medical malpractice lawsuits alleging medical malpractice against an Omaha family practitioner and his cosmetic surgery clinic.

The victims all claim Dr. Gerard J. Stanley Jr. had misrepresented his credentials as a "board-certified" surgeon, qualified to perform cosmetic and plastic surgery.

The eight new suits allege that the victims had suffered similar outcomes of disfigurement, permanent scarring and pain after undergoing the knife that seven previous suits had claimed back in August at the hands of Dr. Stanley and his Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery Clinic.

Stanley now faces a total of 15 medical malpractice lawsuits against him in Douglas County District Court.

All the suits claim Dr. Stanley mislead the patients to portray himself as a board-certified cosmetic and/or plastic surgeon, qualified to perform cosmetic or plastic surgeries; however, board records show that Dr. Stanley is only board-certified to practice in family medicine.

Billboard ads of Dr. Gerard Stanley's practice at Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery

Articles of incorporation filed with the state in 2011 indicate that Dr. Stanley's corporation, Sculpt Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, was organized for the "general purpose of engaging in the practice of medicine and more particularly the practice of plastic surgery."

Stanley's attorney, Thomas Shomaker, said in a prepared statement released Monday that Dr. Stanley is a "qualified cosmetic surgeon and he provided proper medical care to each of these patients."

The victims, however, disagree, stating they suffered needless pain, disfigurement, and excessive scarring after undergoing the knife from a doctor who was not credentialed or even trained to perform basic surgery, let alone procedures in the specialized surgical field of cosmetic surgery, such as breast lifts, tummy tucks, eye lifts, liposuction, and the like.

14 of the victims are represented by Omaha attorney James Martin Davis, while a 15th victim is represented by Omaha attorney Allison Rockey.

To become a board-certified plastic surgeon, physicians must complete at least six years of surgical training in a surgical residency training program or five years of training in a surgical specialty field after graduating medical school, with a minimum of three additional years of training in a plastic surgery residency program, and pass the requisite boards.

Medical malpractice suits against Dr. Gerard first arose in August of this year

To become a board-certified cosmetic surgeon, physicians must complete a primary board certification in a surgical field and then complete an additional one-year general cosmetic surgical fellowship, while also passing their requisite boards.

According to board records, Dr. Stanley has only been shown to have completed a basic three-year residency program in family medicine, a primary care specialty, but has no record of completing any surgical residencies or training programs.

Oddly enough, the State of Nebraska does not require doctors to be board-certified in surgeries to perform cosmetic surgeries.

Dr. Stanley's attorneys said in a written statement that the claims against the doctor rose out of a dispute with a disgruntled former employee who was fired from Stanley's clinic; however, that hardly explains how 15 different former patients have all come forward to file suit against Stanley.

“We feel the District Court is the proper forum to adjudicate these matters, and these meritless claims will be totally rejected, and Dr. Stanley will be totally vindicated,” they further said in the same statement.

In other words, it sounds like there will be at least 15 confidential settlements that no one will hear about that will be struck out by Dr. Stanley to make all these allegations go away.

References:

• Medicine of Omaha—SCULPT cosmetic surgical facility closes amid growing malpractice scandal against its medical director (10/18/17) 
• KMTV—Women speak about malpractice lawsuit claiming doctor botched surgery (10/2/17), with video
• KETV—More than one dozen women sue Omaha doctor after 'botched surgeries' (10/2/17), with video
• Omaha World-Herald—Omaha doctor, cosmetic surgery clinic face 8 more malpractice lawsuits (8/2/17)
• Medicine of Omaha—Medical malpractice lawsuit filed against Omaha family practitioner for botched cosmetic surgeries (8/2/17)
• Omaha World-Herald—Medical malpractice suits filed against Omaha doctor, cosmetic surgery clinic (8/1/17)
• KMTV—Lawsuit: Omaha doctor botched plastic surgeries (8/1/17) with video
• WOWT—Seven malpractice suits for cosmetic surgeries (8/1/17)