In a gripping case of alleged medical negligence, a Florida couple has taken legal action against a cosmetic surgeon and his practice. Diane Ackerson and her husband, Jubal Ackerson, have filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, on February 17, 2025. The lawsuit targets Dr. Lawrence G. Kass and the Tampa Bay Cosmetic Surgery Center, LLC, operating as Kass Center for Cosmetic Surgery.

The plaintiffs allege that Dr. Kass performed a bilateral transconjunctival lower lid blepharoplasty on Diane Ackerson on March 20, 2024. According to the complaint, Ms. Ackerson began experiencing severe eye pain and swelling the day after the procedure. Despite contacting Dr. Kass with photographs of her worsening condition, she was advised to continue icing her eyes and using antibiotic drops. By March 26, 2024, Ms. Ackerson’s symptoms had escalated significantly, leading to a diagnosis of infected blepharitis with facial cellulitis and orbital proptosis at Manatee Memorial Hospital. Tragically, she ultimately lost vision in her left eye.

The lawsuit claims that Dr. Kass failed to appreciate the emergent nature of Ms. Ackerson’s developing infection and did not initiate timely treatment. As a result of this alleged negligence, Ms. Ackerson suffered bodily injury and other significant damages including pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, medical expenses, loss of earnings, and diminished earning capacity.