A Kentucky man claims surgeon removed his penis without consent during circumcision
Thursday, September 25th 2008, 3:01 PM
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – A man who claims his penis was removed without his consent during what was supposed to be a circumcision has sued the doctor who performed the surgery.
Phillip Seaton, 61, and his wife are seeking unspecified compensation from Dr. John M. Patterson and the medical practice that performed the circumcision for “loss of service, love and affection.”
A woman who answered the phone at Commonwealth Urology would not take a message for the doctor Thursday. But the Seaton’s attorney said the doctor’s post-surgical notes show the doctor thought he detected cancer and removed the penis. Attorney Kevin George said a later test did detect cancer.
“It was not an emergency,” George told The Associated Press on Thursday. “It didn’t have to happen that way.”
The lawsuit filed earlier this month in state court claims Patterson removed Seaton’s penis without consulting either Phillip or Deborah Seaton, or giving them an opportunity to seek a second opinion.
The Seatons’ suit is similar to one in which an Indianapolis man was awarded more than $2.3 million in damages after he claimed his penis and left testicle were removed without his consent during surgery for an infection in 1997.