Cosmos Clinics faces two class action investigations

Australia’s biggest cosmetic procedures operator Cosmos Clinics is facing two separate class action investigations after dozens of unhappy patients came forward with a range of disturbing stories after undergoing liposuction and Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBL).

It follows a joint media investigation into the cosmetic surgery industry by this masthead and 60 Minutes that uncovered a litany of troubling practices including one patient, Keisha Amoah, who had a BBL and liposuction in the Melbourne clinic in April 2021 and had to call an ambulance hours after surgery as she was in excruciating pain.

Keisha Amoah was drawn in by social media content, but her cosmetic surgery reality tells a different story.Credit: Main photo: Simon Schluter

Hospital records show Amoah received multiple lacerations to her liver and she was bleeding internally, or as Mark Ashton, Professor of Surgery and Anatomy at the University of Melbourne said, the doctor “lipo-sucked” her liver.

The law firms, Maddens Lawyers and Goldman & Co, opened up registrations in the last few days. Maddens class action principal Kathryn Emeny said the law firm had received dozens of complaints, including post-surgical issues such as chronic pain, numbness, loss of sensation and disfigurement.

“The treatment of patients pre, post and during surgery has also emerged as a significant issue. Inadequate pain management during surgery is one of the issues our investigation is focusing on,” she said.

Former patient, Taylor S, who also had a BBL and liposuction procedure in Cosmos in Melbourne in March 2021, is one of a number of unhappy patients who have registered with Maddens and said more than a year after surgery she is in constant pain and unable to sit comfortably.

Taylor S had a BBl at Cosmos in Melbourne and suffers from pain a year on.Credit: Chris Hopkins

“This is not a way I wish to live. I thought I could trust the medical team at Cosmos Clinic but the whole experience has been a disaster. I’m taking a lot of painkillers and currently trialling a chronic pain medication under my GP’s supervision,” she said.

Law firm Goldman & Co said it was using independent cosmetic medical experts to investigate compensation claims for alleged victims of malpractice and negligent outcomes against doctors and surgeons working in Cosmos.

“Even though there are no existing adverse findings against Cosmos or their staff, it is clear a more detailed investigation into the history and claims of patients must be undertaken,” Goldman principal Jaswinder Sekhon said in a statement.

The law firm said issues of concern to patients included alleged misrepresentation of outcomes, social media influencers and grooming of potential patients, emergency hospitalisation, infections and breach of privacy.

Separately, a class action launched against celebrity cosmetic surgeon Daniel Lanzer and associates including Dr Ryan Wells, Dr Daniel Aronov, Dr Daniel Darbyshire and Dr Ali Fallahi has attracted more than 430 patient registrations.

Maddens, which is running the class action, said it had been contacted by numerous patients of Wells after the 60 Minutes program. “Many patients have undertaken otoplasty (ear pinning) procedures with Dr Wells,” it said. “Patients have reported very serious issues following these surgeries including ongoing severe pain, bleeding from the ears, chronic headaches and complications following infections.”

The class action, lodged in the Victorian Supreme Court, alleges that Lanzer and his associates were negligent in the provision of cosmetic procedures and failed to ensure procedures were appropriate and undertaken with due care and skill. Lanzer and his associates deny any wrongdoing and will defend the case.

Since 60 Minutes aired Bad Look on June 9, along with a series of articles in this masthead, more than 100 patients have come forward to share harrowing experiences and photos relating to procedures by doctors at Cosmos, Lanzer clinics and Wells’ clinics in Queensland.

Joseph Ajaka, founder of Cosmos Clinics.

But it took almost a month to get to air. From the moment the founder of Cosmos, Dr Joseph Ajaka, realised his BBL and liposuction business was about to face the media glare part as part of an investigation into the $1.4 billion cosmetic procedures’ industry, he used a number of levers to stop the story.

For starters, he hired celebrity lawyers who rushed to the Supreme Court of NSW and at the same time engaged in some eyebrow raising practices including contacting either directly or via a third party, patients, media friends a GP and a priest.

One 60 Minutes employee, who had a past association with Ajaka, had to be relocated to a hotel after receiving a series of calls and messages from Ajaka and his wife. He also called the employee’s GP, who told the employee Ajaka had wanted the GP to look up the employee’s home address so he could send his wife to talk to her about a court case and “find out what is in the 60 Minutes story… [60 Minutes Employee] is the solution”. Days later he sent the GP a photo of the employee’s building saying “is this her place?”

When the court case was won in the court of appeal and again in the Supreme Court, the program was rushed to air that night.

In response to a request for comment, Cosmos said in a statement: “The claims made ... are malicious lies published without giving us notice of them so we could meaningfully respond.”

It said “we have no information about the advertisements of these lawyers soliciting clients for their intended class action investigation. We are certainly not aware of any such multitude of claims against us.”

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