Usually patients sue and win judgments against doctors, but in Arizona last week a plastic surgeon and his doctor wife received a $12 million verdict against a patient, according to The Arizona Republic. They alleged that the patient defamed them on her website.
Following a trial, last week a jury awarded Dr. Albert Carlotti of Scottsdale and his wife, Dr. Michelle Cabret-Carlotti, $11 million in actual damages and $1 million in punitive damages from Sherry Petta, a local singer, The Republic reported.
In 2007 Petta had work — including a nose job — done by the Carlottis, who run the Desert Palm Surgical Group. But the relationship went sour when Petta, a jazz singer, alleged she got a skin infection after having work done by the Carlottis, according to The Republic.
In 2008 Petta launched a website that was critical of the husband-and-wife doctor team, prompting the Carlottis to sue her for defamation that same year. They obtained a temporary restraining order that directed Petta to immediately take down the website, The Republic reported.
But she did not relent. Petta filed a complaint against the Carlottis with the Arizona Medical Board, and would pop up at its public meetings to voice criticism of the two doctors. And she posted negative items about the Carlottis on various websites.
The Carlottis claimed that their medical practice took a nosedive, drawing less patients for cosmetic procedures, because of the false information that Petta posted about them on the Internet, The Republic reported.
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