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Kentucky man sues over penis amputation doctor says was medically necessary

1 hour, 35 minutes ago

By The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Kentucky doctor is being sued over the amputation of a patient's penis, a procedure the doctor contends was "medically necessary" and authorized by the patient.

Lawyer Clay Robinson says Dr. John Patterson performed the surgery because the patient, 61-year-old Phillip Seaton, had cancer.

In a written statement in answer to the lawsuit, Robinson said Patterson had been given permission to perform any medical procedure deemed necessary.

Seaton and his wife, Deborah, have sued in Shelby County Circuit Court over the amputation, which took place during a scheduled circumcision to treat inflammation.

The lawsuit 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 are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Patterson, Commonwealth Urology and Dr. Oliver James, the anesthesiologist during the procedure.

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.

Robinson and Seaton's attorney, Kevin George, said post-operative tests confirmed that Seaton had cancer.

"Mr. Seaton had no reasonable option other than to have the cancer removed," Robinson said in his statement.

"Mr. Seaton's problem was not the surgery, it was the cancer," he added.