Two fashion photographers say their plastic surgeon turned the lens on them when they were just vulnerable patients, then put the post-op pics online for all to see, according to a lawsuit.
Shutterbug James Moritz and his partner, Doug Hill, went under the knife of the Upper East Side’s Dr. Douglas Steinbrech in 2012 to improve their “appearance, self-esteem and confidence,” they say in an $18 million Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.
But hopes for improved self-images were dashed when they learned earlier this year that Steinbrech had used pictures of them on his Web site and for advertising his Gotham Plastic Surgery practice without their permission, they charge.
Images of 45-year-old Moritz’s procedure appeared on billboards and fliers and in print ads, he says.
Hill, 47, claims that at least eight images, as well as videos that showed his face and torso — “including a distinctive tattoo on his lower abdomen” — were posted to Steinbrech’s Web site and on Facebook.
The men say they didn’t realize their privacy had been violated until this year, and now they are “greatly distressed and humiliated,” and accuse Steinbrech of breaking his Hippocratic Oath.
“These types of breaches in doctor-patient confidentiality have become more and more rampant in the digital age,” said Bryan Swerling, a lawyer for Hill and Moritz.
“Patients must feel safe to divulge their deepest secrets to a doctor without fear of exposure.”
Steinbrech could not be reached for comment.