A 28-year-old woman’s family claims a liposuction procedure at a Sono Bello clinic in May left her with severe brain damage, and they are now suing the company and the doctor who performed the procedure, alleging medical negligence.
Junis Maldonado went in for liposuction at Sono Bello this past May at the age of 27, but her family says what followed “changed her life forever” and left her with “a medical nightmare” and “a new life” they say she “doesn’t even recognize.”
Maldonado’s attorney, Beth Janicek, alleges in the lawsuit that Maldonado suffered a severe drop in blood pressure during the procedure and that lidocaine continued to be administered. “They had a severe drop in her blood pressure and at that time they continued the administration of the Lidocaine,” Janicek said.
Janicek said that as lidocaine continued, Maldonado began to have seizures. The lawsuit also alleges Maldonado showed signs of lidocaine toxicity, described as a life-threatening reaction, and then went into cardiopulmonary arrest.
“In my opinion, they should have stopped when they saw her blood pressure dropping so low. They could have attended it,” Janicek said.
Maldonado remained hospitalized for two months and was diagnosed with a persistent vegetative state at the hospital before being discharged to a rehab hospital, where she remains while recovering from severe brain damage.
Her family’s lawsuit names Sono Bello and Dr. Dare Ajibade, alleging medical negligence.
In a statement, Maldonado’s sister described her as healthy, happy and full of energy, someone who loved life, her family, friends and especially her three young children. The family has since stepped up to be by her side every day, hoping she can one day return to the life she had before.
Janicek said Maldonado’s long-term outlook is grim. “The ability to ever be able to walk and help herself is not likely,” she said. She also described the emotional toll on the family, saying, “There was a lot of conversations about it may be time to let her go,”
Sono Bello said it cannot speak for Ajibade and confirmed in a statement that he is no longer employed with the company. The company said it cannot comment on cases involving pending litigation and added that patient safety is its highest priority.
Attempts to reach Ajibade and his attorneys for comment were not returned.
Janicek said she wants answers from the clinic and the doctor. “I want to hear from them on what they did to protect those patients that were coming there and trusted them,” she said.
The case has also raised questions about Ajibade’s past, Janicek said. “It makes me very suspicious on what is going on with this doctor because that’s a whole lot of mistakes in a very, very short period of time,” she said.
Texas Medical Board records show the board took disciplinary action against Ajibade after finding he did not meet the standard of care for two patients, one in Washington, D.C., and another in Houston. In one case, the patient died after a 10-hour cosmetic procedure performed in an office-based setting, and the board said the patient died from a pulmonary fat embolism. The board required Ajibade to take continuing education courses and pay a fine.
“What happened to those patients, happened before Junis had her procedure, but she would have had no access to any of that information,” Janicek said, adding that patients should have more information when researching a doctor’s history.
Janicek said the legal team is working to get answers from Sono Bello and Ajibade as Maldonado continues recovering “to the level she can.” Ajibade continues to practice out of Houston and Florida, and his Texas medical license is active and has been renewed for two more years.