Nationwide — The family of Doris Jordan, a Georgia woman who died after undergoing liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift, was awarded $52 million in a medical malpractice case. The ruling came after a judge found serious failures at the cosmetic surgery clinic, though the family is unlikely to recover most of the money.
Jordan was a nurse, an Army veteran, and a mother of three. She underwent the procedure in December 2019 at Sei Bello, a cosmetic surgery clinic in Lawrenceville. She never regained consciousness and died the following day.
According to WLBT, a Gwinnett County Superior Court judge awarded $16 million for Jordan’s pain and suffering and $36 million for wrongful death. Despite the large judgment, the family is unlikely to collect most of the damages because the clinic did not carry malpractice insurance at the time.
Court testimony showed Jordan suffered brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen. Her attorney, Moses Kim, said the clinic ran out of anesthesia during the procedure. Staff later discovered that her oxygen tubing was not connected to a functioning oxygen source.
“Miss Jordan was not breathing, and when they went to see if she was getting any oxygen through the tubes in her nose, they ran the line and realized the end of the plastic tube wasn’t connected to any oxygen because they didn’t have any oxygen in the facility,” Kim said.
Records also revealed staff waited 19 minutes after realizing Jordan had no pulse before calling 911. Kim said the situation was preventable and that the failures began even before the surgery started.
Her husband, James Jordan, said no amount of money could replace his wife. “I want my wife back. The money doesn’t compensate for what she did for me and our family,” he said. “We don’t even get a dollar. We lost her, and we don’t get the answers we’re seeking.”
State records show Sei Bello dissolved within a year of Jordan’s death. The doctor involved reached a separate settlement, while the clinic owner did not respond to requests for comment.