Dr. Arian Mowlavi, a plastic surgeon who branded himself “Dr. Laguna” on social media, is facing two felony counts of battery with serious bodily injury months after he reached a $6-million settlement with three dozen former patients.
On social media accounts and his websites, Mowlavi touted himself as a “renowned body sculptor” and charged tens of thousands of dollars for some procedures. But in recent years, Mowlavi has come under scrutiny from the state medical board and former patients, who allege the doctor pressured them into additional procedures, made lewd comments when examining them and in some cases botched their surgeries.
A criminal complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court in July offered very few details on the alleged crimes but referenced Mowlavi using “surgical tools” during the commission of the felonies, which prosecutors say occurred in July and August 2021.
The two victims are not named in the criminal complaint, but a police report obtained by The Times details allegations made by several former patients, including those who sought treatment from Mowlavi in the summer of 2021. The criminal complaint states that Mowlavi “took advantage of a position of trust and confidence.”
Mowlavi pleaded not guilty last week to both charges. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mowlavi also faces accusations from the state medical board, which filed in July an updated formal accusation that included allegations that he committed gross negligence, created a false medical record, made false representations, was dishonest during his treatment of two patients, failed to maintain accurate medical records, failed to report to the board an adverse event involving a patient and “general unprofessional conduct.”
The board accusation details Mowlavi’s alleged interactions with four patients in 2020 and 2021.
One woman, identified in the accusation as Patient C, sought out Mowlavi’s services in June 2021 for areas of her body that included her abdomen, thighs, back, buttocks and hips. During her initial consultation she was told to disrobe and Mowlavi examined her without a female chaperon in the room and without wearing gloves, according to the accusation.
At one point, the accusation alleges that Mowlavi had Patient C’s bare buttocks up against his chest as he sat on a stool while demonstrating what the results of the procedure would be post-surgery. While being examined, Mowlavi allegedly called the woman “girlfriend” and “babe” and told her he would make her look “hot” and “snatched,” according to the accusation.
Another patient, identified in the accusation as Patient D, was interested in a Brazilian Butt Lift, but during an examination the day before her scheduled surgery, Mowlavi recommended that she also get high-definition liposuction, a pubic skin resection and a mini-tummy tuck.
Mowlavi allegedly reached his arms around the patient, who was nude, and manipulated her lower abdominal skin to show her what post-surgery results would look like. During the process he used a crude word for vagina.
At a follow-up visit after her surgery, the accusation states, Mowlavi brought another prospective patient into the room where Patient D was lying undressed and told her to “flex” her abs. The accusation states that Mowlavi never returned to examine her.
The action by the medical board is the second it has taken against Mowlavi, records show. In August 2021, it filed an accusation that he committed gross negligence, aided the unlicensed practice of medicine and overstated the number of procedures he’d performed, among other violations.
In September 2022, the board suspended Mowlavi’s license for 90 days and placed him on probation for 10 years, documents show.
In a series of malpractice lawsuits settled this spring by Mowlavi, more than 30 patients alleged that he unnecessarily forced them to be nude for an examination, made inappropriate comments about their bodies, touched them without consent, pressured them to have more expensive procedures and in some cases bungled their surgeries. Patients said in court documents that they were left with unsightly and unexpected scars and infections following surgery.