A South Orange County plastic surgeon known on social media as “Dr. Laguna” has gone viral amid mounting allegations of medical malpractice from more than 30 former patients and a subsequent lawsuit filed by the Orange County District Attorney, further threatening the fate of his practice.
In the 2021 class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs’ attorneys accused Dr. Arian Mowlavi of prioritizing his financial interests over patient health and safety. Mowlavi denied the allegations set forth in the lawsuit, which include the use of unlicensed technicians during surgeries, mistreatment of disrobed women, and the aggressive promotion of unnecessary procedures. Mowlavi’s accusers also claim that he performed unnecessary surgeries without informed consent, leading to botched procedures resulting in disfigurement or infection.
The lawsuits also claim that Mowlavi removed patients’ clothing without consent and posted patient photos on social media without permission. Mowlavi, who has more than 80,000 followers on Instagram, is also accused of posting a video showing the exposed buttocks of an unconscious patient, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In June of this year, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spritzer filed a lawsuit against Mowlavi for unfair business practices, with a status conference scheduled for June 17, 2024.
Mowlavi has been on a 10-year probationary period since being reported to a medical review board in 2021 by Robert Kachenmeister, chief of the plastic surgery department at a south Orange County hospital. The report also resulted in a 90-day suspension of Mowlavi’s medical license. In a court declaration, Kachenmeister labeled Mowlavi “a danger to the community and his plastic surgery patients.”
Meanwhile, Mowlavi has filed for bankruptcy, citing his former patients’ lawsuits.
“The frequency of complications and poor results by Dr. Mowlavi’s procedures are unacceptable and not within the standard of care,” Kachenmeister wrote in his complaint. “My understanding based on my own conversations with the patients [is] that they were being pressured and persuaded by Dr. Mowlavi to perform these procedures even though they were not in the patient’s best interests.”
Jason Vance, a registered nurse at Mowlavi’s clinic, reported an incident where Mowlavi allegedly ripped out a patient’s breathing tube during surgery and flung it across the room. Vance expressed concern for the patient’s safety and texted Mowlavi’s wife, suggesting that he believed Mowlavi had “lost his mind,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
In response to the allegations, Mowlavi has denied any responsibility for misconduct or medical malpractice, accusing his critics of attempting to ruin his career.
