Maria Alaimo wanted a breast augmentation, not a breast duplication.
But “four breasts” is what the Staten Island mother got after a 2003 visit to Dr. Keith Berman, which was intended to enlarge the woman’s breasts to a full 36 C cup.
Instead, Alaimo wound up with “double-bubble” deformities that caused “pain … disability, loss of self-esteem, humiliation and embarrassment,” according to her lawsuit, reports SILive.
“Maria came out of that operation with essentially four breasts,” her attorney, Michael J. Kuharski, told jurors during Monday’s opening arguments in Staten Island Supreme Court.
Postoperative photos showed heavy scars on Alaimo’s breasts, which appear flattened on the bottom with “severe swells the size of a softball on top,” reported the local news site.
The surgery also subsequently led to Alaimo’s divorce from Dominic Alaimo after she refused to undress due to embarrassment, Kuharski told the court.
The 47-year-old is now seeking $5 million in damages from Dr. Berman.
Dr. Berman said he “absolutely” reviewed all the risks with Alaimo before the procedure.
“She was only concerned with the glamour part,” Berman’s attorney Jerry Giardina told the jurors.