On June 16, 2021, Dr. John Sampson started his seventh procedure of the day after fourteen hours of surgical work at Seduction Cosmetic. The patient for this procedure, Erica Russell, went under the knife at 8:31 PM. A little over two hours later, she was dead—killed by Dr. Sampson’s reckless, horrific surgical technique for what should have been a routine Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). Meanwhile, Dr. Sampson was not even supposed to be performing any surgery at that facility.
Among Ms. Russell’s fatal injuries were:
- Perforations in the abdominal wall
- Perforations in the liver
- Fat injections in the bloodstream, blocking circulation
Dr. Sampson repeatedly punctured the abdominal wall and internal organs during the procedure, and he carelessly injected fat in areas where it should not have been, which is what led to fat deposits in the bloodstream. These injuries caused massive bleeding in the abdominal cavity and a pulmonary fat embolism. When a fat deposit blocked her bloodstream, it triggered fatal cardiac arrest.
Ms. Russell died at 10:50 PM. She was just 33 years old.
“Assembly Line Medicine”
Now, the Russell family is coming forward to bring the circumstances of their mother’s death to light. Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. is representing the family in a recently filed wrongful death suit against Dr. Sampson and Seduction Cosmetic, which has been reported by Daily Business Review, People, NBC 6 South Florida, and other sources.
“It’s unbelievable that a surgery center could allow this to happen. This doctor should have never been performing this surgery, much less seven surgeries in one day,” said the family’s attorney, Stephen Cain.
Attorney Stephen Cain is referring to Dr. Sampson's documented role at the cosmetic surgery office. He was Seduction Cosmetic’s “Designated Physician,” a position responsible for health and safety compliance. The office and Dr. Sampson made written commitments to the Florida Department of Health that his role would strictly exclude performing surgery.
Meanwhile, Ms. Russell was told by Dr. Sampson and Seduction Cosmetic that he had plastic and cosmetic surgical privileges at Coral Gables Hospital, which was a blatant lie.
As Attorney Michael Levine put it, “What happened to Ms. Russell should have never happened—this is assembly line medicine, and that’s what killed her.”