Plastic surgery has exploded in popularity in recent years, and like their medical colleagues, plastic surgeons are held to high standards of conduct when administering any type of medical care. When a medical professional not only violates ethics norms but also criminal laws, the fallout can be severe for those who were the targets of these acts. Unfortunately for more than one patient of a local plastic surgeon, circumstances were such that they must now figure out a way to move on after being wronged.

Justice was served in at least one context yesterday when the surgeon was sentenced to prison for sexual exploitation of patients. According to the Sacramento Bee:

“The disgraced Dr. Scott Takasugi was sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison today on his conviction for sexually exploiting two of his patients three years ago.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White imposed the term on the 56-year-old former Kaiser plastic surgeon who twice failed to show up at his scheduled sentencing hearings, once because his father died and the other because he was in a 72-hour mental health hold.

White called Takasugi’s touching of two of his patients genitalia before he operated on them “planned behavior and repeat conduct.” The judge also said that the victims were especially vulnerable because of the doctor-patient relationship that existed between them and Takasugi, which led them to accede “voluntarily to the defendant’s conduct.”

While the criminal law aspect of this matter is settled, that does not preclude those who were wronged from pursuing justice via the civil courts. If you or someone you love has been mistreated by any professional, you need to contact the Sacramento personal injury lawyers who know how to hold professionals accountable. Contact Demas & Rosenthal today to schedule a free initial consultation.