MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

PINELLAS CIRCUIT COURT

A jury sided with a plastic surgeon who was sued by a patient left with double vision after cosmetic surgery on her eyelids.

Dr. Jason Swerdloff, a facial plastic surgeon, performed a blepharoplasty, which removes fat from the eyelids, on Debra Fee in April 2013. Fee claimed she developed double vision as a result of a muscle injury during the surgery. She blamed misuse of a surgical instrument and underwent three additional surgeries to correct her double vision.

A defense expert ophthalmologist testified the injury resulted from a rare but known complication: a reaction to an anesthetic. The jury sided with Swerdloff.

Case: Fee v. Swerdloff

Case No.: 15-004113-CI

Plaintiffs attorney: Robert E. Heyman, Heyman Law Firm, St. Petersburg

Defense attorneys: Damien M. Hoffman and Mark E. McLaughlin, Beytin, McLaughlin, McLaughlin, O'Hara, Kinman & Bocchino, Tampa