A cosmetic surgeon who previously worked for a Casper clinic denies wrongdoing in a lawsuit filed by two women in 2023 accusing him of leaving them disfigured and sick.
In July, Afton Jennings and Casi Duncan sued Dr. Christopher Stewart, a cosmetic surgeon who had previously worked for Casper-based New Beautiful You.
They also sued the clinic, its president Melissa Black, vice-president John Roussalis, medical director Shawn Snyder, registered nurse Joury Markowski, and Summit Medical Center, which is affiliated with Memorial Hospital of Converse County.
Jennings and Duncan, through their attorney Jack Edwards, claim that Stewart performed cosmetic surgeries on them that resulted in infection, necrosis, permanent disfigurement, and loss of bodily function.
Jennings claims that a breast reduction surgery hampered her recovery, resulting in a malformed breast.
Duncan claims her “mommy makeover” surgeries did not heal properly, and days of illness resulted in her abdominal incision bursting open and discharging pus and blood at work, among other issues.
Stewart filed an answer in Natrona County District Court on Friday, represented by Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP attorneys Christopher R. Jones and Christine Stickley.
The filing denies any wrongdoing in the case.
“Dr. Stewart denies that his actions or inactions breached the applicable medical standard of care and/or resulted in plaintiffs’ alleged injuries or damages,” according to the paperwork.
The document seeks a jury trial.
Maggots
Stewart’s answer also addresses one of Jennings’ claims head-on: in which she’d attached a photograph and description – both graphic – of having maggots placed in her breast to eat necrotic tissue after her surgery.
According to the complaint, in August 2023, a physical therapist found foul odor, drainage, and hardened tissue in Jennings’ left breast, and professionals discussed “maggot therapy” to eat the dead tissue.
According to Edwards, Jennings began maggot therapy on August 23, 2023, and “she had maggots wiggling around in her bra while at work.”
The surgeon was the one who filed the counters, not Stewart.
“Dr. Stewart is aware that medical grade larval therapy is a potential wound care treatment approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, which may be considered by a patient and his or her wound care physician,” according to the report. “Dr. Stewart states that he was not involved in Ms. Jennings’ discussion of medical grade larval therapy, and, accordingly, denies any remaining allegations in this paragraph.”
Mommy Makeover
As to Duncan’s claims, Stewart also denies wrongdoing, saying he “expressly denies performing operative procedures without the requisite consent” and “denies his postoperative care violated the applicable standard of care or caused Ms. Duncan’s alleged injuries and damages.”
As of Wednesday, Snyder had also filed an answer denying wrongdoing, as had the Memorial Hospital of Converse County, speaking for Summit Medical Center.
The Twist
In June, Stewart sued New Beautiful You, Black, and Roussalis.
Stewart’s civil complaint, filed on June 24 in Natrona County District Court, claims that New Beautiful You defrauded him of $45,000 in past wages and $6,500 in retirement deposits, and forced him to wire $27,889.09 to avoid a lawsuit on an equipment loan that Stewart co-signed.
That case is ongoing.
