After settling a civil lawsuit for $6 million, “Dr. Laguna” is now looking at a new medical board accusation and a possible criminal trial. The I-Team’s Carolyn Johnson reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 20, 2024.
“I feel mutilated and felt lied to,” said Toni Arken, a former patient of Dr. Arian Mowlavi. “I just don’t even understand how someone could work like this.”
Arken had surgery with Mowlavi in 2018. Her experience is detailed in a recently amended medical board accusation against the plastic surgeon also known as Dr Laguna.
His strong social media presence drew her to his practice. She said she thought she would be in the best hands after reading more about his background.
“He’s training all these doctor. He’s written books,” said Arken. “He’s got to be it. It’s Laguna Beach.”
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Arken wanted a Brazilian butt lift or BBL, but she said the consultation led to Mowlavi convincing her she needed so much more.
I feel mutilated and I felt lied to … I just don't even understand how someone could work like this.
Toni Arken, former patient of Dr. Mowlavi
“He grabs me. He’s like, ‘Look,'” said Arken. “He grabs me about 2 inches above my vagina while I’m naked and grabs me right underneath my breast from behind me, so he’s behind me. And he’s pulling, cinching up and cinching down and (saying) ‘We can give you abs and all of this.’”
The I-Team spoke with Arken and two other former patients of Mowlavi who said they were also upsold on other procedures and felt bullied by him.
Mcayla Sarno said minutes before her surgery, while she was disrobed and already medicated, Mowlavi questioned what they were doing with her breasts. Sarno said she was shocked.
“If I give the wrong answer or explain it wrong, I’m about to go into surgery,” Sarno said. “I asked, ‘Can I get my phone and show you some photos?’ And that’s when the ridicule began with this constant, ‘You’re making this very difficult. It’s not that hard.’”
Former patient Chalene Johnson said she also felt bullied.
“We're strong women. I mean, she's a doctor,” said Johnson about Sarno. “We are professionals, and to find yourself in that situation, It's hard. It's hard to even explain to other people because you're intelligent, all of your red flags are going off. But it’s a renowned doctor, it’s an author, it’s someone who’s supposedly critically acclaimed.”
Arken, Sarno and Johnson were among more than 30 plaintiffs in a civil suit Mowlavi recently settled for $6 million. So too was a patient who asked to be called Bobbi to protect her identity.
“It was the scariest experience of my life,” she said.
She is Patient A in the amended medical board accusation. Days after her surgery with Mowlavi, she was rushed to the ER and eventually transferred to the burn unit at UCI where she stayed in a medically induced coma for more than a week.
“It turned septic,” Bobbi explained, “which then caused kidney failure, liver failure and damage to my heart.”
For months after her procedures, Arken said she could barely move.
“I couldn’t even get up and stand up long enough to make my kids dinner,” said Arken.
At the end of the day, I don't want this guy to hurt another person.
Toni Arken, former patient of Dr. Mowlavi
She said to this day, she cannot do a sit up as a result. And she said she still reflects on her traumatizing consultation with Mowlavi.
“I kept kind of arguing, and he’s like, “Listen, it’s only going to be about a 4 to 6 inch scar,” said Arken, and then questioned what he was planning. “I just don’t know,” she said. “I don’t like how that’s pulled up and he (said), ‘I know what a p***y should look like.’ It was just overwhelming.”
She said Mowlavi’s insistence on giving her a vagina lift had devastating results.
“Every day when I go the restroom I will pee out on the seat and usually pee on my leg a little bit, which is very embarrassing and not something I like talking about.”
When she obtained her medical records from Mowlavi’s office a year and a half after her surgery, she discovered her operative note listed her name, but a wrong birthdate and incorrect details of her surgery.
“His name’s on here, signed and dated that day after,” said Arken, holding up her incorrect operative note. “So it’s not me at all, 100%."
In June 2023, Laguna Beach police raided Mowlavi’s office and investigators removed boxes of records and computers. In July of this year, the Orange County District Attorney’s office filed two felony counts of battery with serious bodily injury against Mowlavi related to two patients. He has not yet entered a plea. A civil suit filed by the DA’s office in June of last year accused Mowlavi of 19 unlawful business practices. But that suit is on hold until the criminal case is resolved.
The I-Team reached out to Dr. Mowlavi’s attorneys who are handling his civil and criminal cases, but they did not respond to the request for comment.
Former patients who have spoken to the I-Team said a primary reason they came forward is to protect others from experiencing their pain and suffering.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want this guy to hurt another person,” said Arken
There is also frustration among former patients.
The first medical board investigation noted on Mowlavi’s record involved the death of one of his patients in 2018. But that accusation wasn’t made pubic until August of 2021 and wasn’t resolved until October 2022 -- more than four years later -- with 10 years probation and a 90 day suspension of his license to practice.
Chalene Johnson doesn't understand the board’s lack of transparency.
“If you’re not able to do your research by the governmental agencies that are supposedly established to protect your best interest, then who can we trust?” asked Johnson.
While Mowlavi’s medical license is currently restricted, he continues to consult with prospective patients. When we called last week to book a consultation, we were offered multiple dates to meet with Mowlavi.
Instead of Dr. Laguna, he now appears to be branding his business as SurgiSculpt, a name trademarked by an LLC registered in his wife’s name, using the address of Mowlavi’s original surgical center in Laguna Beach.
Dr. Mowlavi is expected in court September 25 for arraignment on the two felony criminal charges. A hearing is scheduled for March of next year on the latest accusation by the medical board.
