Over three days in May 2015, a South Florida doctor is accused of botching four women's cosmetic surgeries.
A medical malpractice hearing got underway in Fort Lauderale on Wednesday for Dr. Osak Omulepu. The State could suspend or revoke his license after four women were hospitalized after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
The four women told an administrative judge the doctor's procedures landed them in the hospital with life-threatening complications.
One of the women, Nyosha Fowler of Alabama, said she still can't feel her foot and has trouble walking after her Brazilian Butt Lift procedure more than a year ago. She was hospitalized for four months after the surgery.
Fowler told the judge what she recalled after waking up from surgery.
"I don't know I was out of it, I couldn't stand, let alone walk, I couldn't even stand my feet were like this, like my feet were like penguin feet," Flowler told the judge.
The State said Dr. Omulepu injected fat not only into her backside but also into her sciatic nerve and also hit her bowel with his instruments.
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Fowler's mother testified about the conversation she had with Dr. Omulepu hours after the surgery.
"He said 'I messed up, I messed up, that's all I can say is I messed up'," she said.
Another patient, identified only as L.L., testified by phone.
"I began running to the car because I knew that if I didn't get to the hospital in a timely manner that something bad was going to happen I felt the life was draining out of me," she said.
A third patient told the NBC 6 Investigators prior to the hearing that the instruments used during her Brazilian Butt Lift punctured her liver. Donna McRae says she spent four months in the hospital after her surgery.
"In hindsight, I shouldn't have done it. I honestly didn't need it," McRae said. "I had a beautiful figure before, I just wanted more. I almost died because of vanity."
The doctor's attorney denied the allegations. During the administrative hearing, she said the patients all signed consent forms that show they acknowledged the risks of the procedures. She also said they were all known complications of these surgeries.
"Dr. Omulepu is very happy that we finally have our day in court and I think at the end of this, he's going to be vindicated and we look forward to the decision," said attorney Monica Felder-Rodriguez.
Omulepu's defense called another plastic surgeon to testify. He testified about the risks.
"Unfortunately these things happen," Dr. Michel Samson of Port Orange.
The judge's decision will be a recommendation that will then go before Florida's Medical Licensing Board. The discipline could range from a reprimand to getting his license revoked. It could be months before a final decision is made.
