South Fulton County

Former patients, providers say cosmetic surgery office owner owes them thousands

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Court records show former patients and metro Atlanta medical providers are involved in several financial disputes with a South Fulton County cosmetic surgery facility owner.

The owner is also at the center of a lawsuit claiming he violated patient privacy by publishing nude photos of a patient for marketing purposes.

Channel 2 Action News began uncovering the claims after a former patient reached out for help.

Yolanda Dennis says she was gearing up to show off a new body late last summer.

“I was turning 40 in a few months, and I decided I wanted to do a mommy makeover,” Dennis said.

But instead of heading into a scheduled Brazilian butt lift surgery, employees at the Celebrity Body Sculpting and Cosmetic Surgery Center in Union City raised a red flag about her readiness.

“They said there were a few things I needed to take care of before I could get my procedure done, which was no problem,” Dennis recalled. “They kind of coached me through what I needed to do.”

TRENDING STORIES:

By October, Dennis said she still had not received the new blood work results or was medically cleared for the procedure, so she requested a refund for the $6,075 cash payment she says she made up front.

She says the facility promised to refund her within 30 days. Fast forward three months, and she hasn’t seen a dime or made contact with the business owner, John Holmes.

"I never heard back from John," Dennis told Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr. "That's when I reached out to you all."

Carr listened to the facility placing Dennis on hold this week when she called to inquire about the refund. A receptionist returned to the line to say Dennis would receive contact by the end of the business day.

She did not get that answer and described similar runaround for months.

Court records show Holmes denies owing Dennis money in a counterclaim filed earlier this week.

Carr also found the same Fulton County judge who ordered Holmes to refund a Douglasville woman more than $4,000 worth of procedure and court costs in October. It had been 10 months since the woman told the courts she’d requested a refund for the same reasons as Dennis. She had not been medically cleared for liposuction and had already paid for the procedure in full.

Beyond similar Better Business Bureau complaints, there are two additional pending collections claims against Holmes and Celebrity Body Sculpting. An Alpharetta-based anesthesiologist filed suit against Holmes for more than $3,000.

Synergy Anesthesiology notes unpaid services provided in November of 2017 and January of 2018.

Fulton County marshals noted they were unable to find Holmes earlier this month because the Cascade Road address registered as the surgery center’s LLC has “no such business at this location,” the marshal wrote.

They were trying to serve a separate, similar claim filed by Snellville-based BioTran, a medical waste management service.

Carr found the Cascade Road address was home to an ice cream shop in a shopping center.

When Carr arrived at the surgery center off Jonesboro Road in Union City, an employee and another man who knows Holmes told Channel 2 they could not reach him and did not know where he was. They said the Dennis dispute is between him and the patient.

Early Thursday afternoon, Carr reached Holmes by a phone number listed in court records and to ask about the allegations. He told her he was headed into a short meeting and would call her back. As of this story publishing hours later, he had not returned the call.

Anuisha Roberts, another employee listed as a business contact in Dennis’ claim, called Carr to pass along a number for an attorney.

Nathaniel Blackmon represented Holmes in a 2018 lawsuit claiming he used patients' naked photos for website marketing purposes without their consent. The photos were taken for medical assessment purposes, according to the suit.

Blackmon told Carr he was unaware of the most recent claims and would touch base with Holmes for more information. He did not call back again on Thursday.

Holmes is due in Fulton County court alongside Dennis next month. The mediation is scheduled with the same judge who ordered repayment to the Douglasville patient.