A cosmetics clinic that offered “boob jobs for the cost of a cup of coffee a day” has been ordered to pay $25 million to more than 1,000 of its former patients.
The NSW Supreme Court this week approved the settlement against The Cosmetic Institute (TCI), which was deemed to have “ruined” the lives of customers who formed the 2017 class action lawsuit.
TCI offered breast augmentation surgery for as little as $5,990 and used a “one size fits all” approach to optimize its services.
“(This system) was allegedly employed regardless of the patient’s anatomy… and the associated requirement for different or additional surgical techniques and approaches,” said Judge Richard Weinstein, news.com.au reported.
TCI is currently in liquidation.
The Cosmetic Institute has been ordered to pay $25 million to its former patients whose lives were “ruined” by botched breast operations.
Narelle Bayon (pictured) suffered neurological damage from her $6,000 breast surgery under TCI’s ‘One Size Fits All’ approach
The massive lawsuit was led by 12 women who gave detailed evidence of the intimate procedures performed by TCI, which led to serious health complications.
Judge Richard Weinstein acknowledged the “lasting harm” the women suffered during the trial.
“Without their participation, this representative process, which will benefit so many women, would not have been possible,” she said.
‘In this case, the expert reports refer in detail to the plaintiffs’ breast augmentation surgery and their private anatomy was examined and photographed several times.
“It is reasonable to expect that the discomfort and embarrassment caused by this intrusion into her privacy would be magnified due to the intimate nature of the claims.”
Those 12 women will receive $2.81 million to divide between them.
An estimated $10 million of the settlement will pay the legal and administrative costs of the class action lawsuit.
The rest of the money – around $12.19 million – will be shared among the more than 1,000 signatories of the lawsuit.
Over the past 10 years several TCI horror stories have come to light from affected clinics based in Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Sarah Jaremenko (pictured) revealed that a TCI breast implant had migrated to her armpit and caused serious damage.
TCI offered breast augmentation surgery for as little as $5,990 and used a ‘one size fits all approach’ to optimize their services.
In 2015, former patient Sarah Jaremenko revealed that a TCI breast implant had migrated to her armpit and caused serious damage.
“Now I have torn ligaments, torn muscles, displaced implants, I need a complete reconstruction and it’s a disaster,” he told 7News.
That same year, a woman suffered cardiac arrest after receiving a high dose of local anesthetic at the company’s Bondi clinic.
One woman has suffered seizures since her TCI procedure, while another was forced to undergo emergency surgery.
Narelle Bayon suffered neurological damage from her $6,000 breast surgery.
“It’s putting pressure on the nerves in my arm and it causes me pain every day, I have tingling sensations,” he said.
Other problems mentioned in the class action lawsuit included heart problems and punctured lungs.