A 33-year-old mother of five died after a Miami doctor who was allegedly not allowed to operate on patients performed her surgery at the end of a 14-hour day, according to a complaint filed by the woman’s family attorney, Michael Levine.
In June 2021, Erica Russell of Tennessee underwent a BBL (Brazilian Butt Lift) procedure at Seduction Beauty Center in Coral Gables, Fla., according to Miami-Dade County court documents obtained by PEOPLE. Russell was operated on by Dr. John Sampson, who was reportedly not allowed to operate at the center.
Sampson has five counts against him — one count each of defendant Sampson’s negligence, defendant’s negligence in seduction, vicarious liability (actual activity) of defendant’s seduction, vicarious liability (apparent activity) of defendant’s seduction, and vicarious liability (employment) of defendant’s seduction .
During the surgery, “Sampson failed to maintain adequate control of his cannula and/or failed to maintain knowledge of the location of the cannula tip within Erica Russell’s anatomy, resulting in repeated perforations of the abdominal wall and punctures of the liver, bladder and/or bowel,” according to court documents .
The documents further state that Erica Russell’s cause of death was pulmonary fat embolism and hemoperitoneum due to liposuction and bilateral gluteal augmentation surgery.
A Brazilian butt lift is when a patient’s fat is transferred from the abdomen, hips, lower back, or thighs to the buttocks, WebMD explains.
Sampson allegedly began his workday at 6:30 a.m. the day of Russell’s surgery and performed procedures on six patients before attending her at 8:30 p.m. that evening, according to court documents. Russell’s proceedings began at 2 p.m. on Sampson’s workday.
Russell then coded two hours later at 10.50pm and died that night – reportedly 16 hours into Sampson’s work day.
Picture of a surgeon with a nurse and an assistant during an operation in the operating room.
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In addition, Sampson was previously barred from performing surgeries at Seduction Cosmetic Center Corp, according to the complaint. Russell was informed that Sampson had “privileges at the local Coral Gables hospital, and it turned out he didn’t,” Levine claimed.
Court documents state that Sampson was “not authorized to perform surgical procedures.” Seduction Cosmetic Center also reported to the Florida Department of Health that Sampson is a “designated physician” and is no longer performing surgeries, but Sampson is reportedly still performing surgeries on patients.
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Image of surgeons performing open heart surgery in a modern operating room.
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Levine shares that the family’s “purpose of filing the lawsuit is to hold these people accountable for what they did.”
“Now this young woman, 33 years old, she is dead. And her five children will grow up without a mother,” says Levine. “And it’s just a really, really sad story.”
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The Seduction cosmetic center did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information.
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Source: HIS Education