Atlanta women say doctor permanently ‘deformed,’ ‘scarred’ them
At least nine former patients of Dr. Harvey ‘Chip’ Cole are suing him for negligence.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - At least nine patients of a metro Atlanta doctor have filed lawsuits against Dr. Harvey “Chip” Cole, accusing the physician of negligence.
In 2023, Kayla Cannon wrote a one-star Yelp review accusing Dr. Cole “damaging” her face. The surgery “wasn’t for cosmetic reasons,” Cannon said, but for “a birth defect” that resulted in no muscle in her eyelids.
Besides the eyelid surgery, Cannon said Dr. Cole also recommended “cheek implants because he said that my cheeks were very flat.”
Cannon’s lawsuit said the procedures were done at Northside Hospital’s Peachtree Dunwoody Outpatient Surgery center. The procedures went well, but problems resulted weeks later when Cannon said her eyelid dropped back to its previous spot, “maybe worse.”
Cannon went back for a follow-up procedure, but her lawsuit alleges the problem became worse, citing what other consulting doctors say went wrong: too much tissue removed from her eyes and areas overtightened.
The lawsuit also claims Dr. Cole failed to recognize and treat an infection in one of Cannon’s cheek implants.
Dr. Cole denies any wrongdoing, and said her facts are “incomplete and out of context with respect to [Kayla’s] medical history.”
Cannon said other doctors have helped with new surgeries but the 29-year-old is still left feeling “permanently deformed,” as outlined by her lawsuit.
“He took all of my 20s away from me, the most important years of my life,” Cannon said. “I look worse than when I started and it kills me.”
Sara Dunham is also a former patient of Dr. Cole.
“Let’s be really honest; I’m disfigured,” Dunham said. “I’m embarrassed how I look; I’m embarrassed with how I try to talk; I’m embarrassed that I have to keep taking swigs of a liquid to moisturize my mouth to be able to talk.”
In 2022, Dunham said she simply “wanted to look a little refreshed.” She said Dr. Cole recommended a cheek lift; lip lift; eye lid and ear-pinning surgery. Her lawsuit accused Dr. Cole of “damaging facial nerve” and “removing too much tissue.”
Her side effects since surgery include dry mouth; right facial paralysis; impaired eating and drinking; and the inability to close either eye, according to her lawsuit.
“I don’t want him to continue to do it to other people,” Dunham said.
At least seven additional lawsuits have been filed by former patients, accusing Dr. Cole of leaving them deformed after performing plastic surgery.
“They went to him to make things better and all he did was make things worse,” said Alex Seay, the attorney representing the patients. “You see a pattern in practice of upselling patients for procedures they don’t need and then doing those procedures incorrectly.”
“Dr. Cole is known to handle some of the most difficult cases in his field, and he is dedicated to his patients,” the physician’s attorney said. “He has grave concerns about the methods that may have been used to identify and solicit his patients, and he questions how it is possible that a single plaintiffs’ attorney has been retained by several former patients.
“He will fight the claims against him,” Dr. Cole’s attorney said.
Records show Dr. Cole has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which is a legal process declaring he’s in debt and is selling off assets.
Dr. Cole is not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Although the board is an independent non-regulatory organization, experts consider it the gold-standard certification for its strict training and examination methods.
However, Dr. Cole is certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, the American Board of Laser Surgery, and the American Board of Ophthalmology.
Although Dr. Cole’s Georgia medical license profile states he is board certified by the American Society of Oculofacial Plastic Surgery, the organization’s website said it is “not a certifying or accrediting body.”
The Georgia Composite Medical Board would not confirm whether it is investigating Dr. Cole, but the patients involved in the lawsuits said they’ve filed complaints with the board and given in-person statements to board investigators.
Dr Cole maintained he is quadruple board certified and trained numerous doctors over his 35-year career.
Northside Hospital is also named as defendant, accused of wrongfully allowing Cole to perform surgeries. In court filings, the hospital has denied wrongdoing but said he no longer has privileges there.
Northside Hospital is also named as defendant, accused of wrongfully allowing Cole to perform surgeries. In court filings, the hospital has denied wrongdoing but said he no longer has privileges there.
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