Late influencer Rachel Tussey’s doctor claims the surgery center administered her an “overdose” of opioids prior to her tummy tuck procedure.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, April 7, Tussey’s doctor Shahryar Tork and his practice filed a lawsuit against JourneyLite of Cincinnati and Associated Anesthesiologists of Springfield for “breach of contract, promissory estoppel, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent hiring/retention/supervision, and spoliation of evidence.” Tork is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Tork accused JourneyLite’s surgery center of “gross negligence and safety failures” that caused Tussey’s death. He claimed that Tussey “was alert and stable immediately after” he performed a “successful nine-hour abdominoplasty.”
“JourneyLite’s nursing staff allegedly administered a rapid overdose of opioids (far exceeding what she received during the entire nine-hour surgery), causing respiratory failure, anoxic brain injury, and her death two weeks later in hospice,” the docs alleged.
Influencer Rachel Tussey Dead at 47 After Complications From Tummy Tuck
The physician further claimed via lawsuit docs that the surgery center has “chronic safety deficiencies,” alleging that there is “inadequate staffing, lack of required monitoring equipment, anesthesia providers leaving the facility shortly after surgery, and prior whistleblower warnings ignored.”
Tork also claimed that he was “misled about the facility’s capabilities and safety standards” at JourneyLite. He has alleged that the company’s “actions have caused significant reputational and economic harm to his practice.”
Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
Tussey, who was a TikTok influencer, died last month after experiencing complications from a tummy tuck procedure. She was 47.
“Last night, my wife Rachel lost her battle while in hospice care,” her husband, Jeremy Tussey, wrote in an update via the family’s GoFundMe page in March. “Rachel was an amazing wife, mother, and person who touched so many lives. We will carry her memory with us always.”
Rachel “suffered severe brain damage after extended loss of oxygen and was placed on a ventilator under sedation” following a “mommy makeover” procedure in February.
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The content creator is survived by Jeremy and their three children: Tristan, Alec and Livi.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. I am devastated for Rachel Tussey and her family, and I am sending my deepest condolences and prayers to her loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Tork shared in a statement to Us in the wake of Rachel’s death. “My thoughts remain with everyone who loved Rachel. I hope that, in time, the full facts surrounding what happened come to light, bringing clarity and some measure of peace to her family and to everyone affected by this heartbreaking loss.”
In a separate statement obtained by People, Tork clarified that Rachel’s “surgery did not take place at my private practice, Tork Plastic Surgery, nor do I own or operate the independently owned ambulatory surgery facility where the procedure occurred.”
