UPDATE: In January 2020, Day’s lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice.
PREVIOUSLY: Randal Haworth, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who has appeared on TV shows like Fox’s “The Swan,” has been accused of illicit drug use and watching pornographic movies and videos depicting beheadings during his surgeries.
According to a proposed amended complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, Haworth “regularly played hardcore pornography and videos showing extreme and graphic violence, such as actual beheadings, on a monitor, on in the background during during [sic] some of his surgeries.”
Laura Day, a former patient who first filed a malpractice suit in January 2017, also claimed in the new filing — based on the recent deposition of Haworth’s former surgical consultant — that the surgeon failed to disclose he was having issues with his eyesight, particularly his depth perception, following treatment for an eye tumor.
The new court filing also accused Haworth of “regularly and unlawfully” using the painkiller Percocet, “including before and during his performance of surgical procedures.” The new complaint also charged that he “regularly used other illicit drugs, such as cocaine and MDMA, commonly called Ecstasy.’”
In addition, the new amended complaint accused Haworth of forging patient consent forms in order to keep his medical accreditation and charged that he routinely bullied unhappy patients who complained about his work.
Reached by phone, Haworth denied the accusations, calling them “preposterous.”
“The might as well say that I killed JonBenét Ramsey,” Haworth told TheWrap. He declined to elaborate further about the specific accusations, except to say, “The truth will eventually prevail.”
Haworth, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon to the stars, has a roster of clients that reportedly includes “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Rinna. He was cast as one of the resident surgeons on Fox’s “The Swan,” a 2004 reality show that chronicled 16 women as they underwent extensive plastic surgery and counseling.
The show was canceled after two season due to a dip in ratings and continued criticism for normalizing cosmetic surgery. Haworth has also appeared as an expert on CBS’ “The Doctors.”
Day claimed that she was badly injured during a procedure performed by Haworth in 2015. In her lawsuit, Day said that she was mentally impaired for months after the surgery and was permanently disfigured.
In her new court filing, Day’s lawyer, Chris Rudd, said that he was in the midst of what he thought was a “typical” malpractice suit over a botched procedure when, during discovery, Haworth’s former surgical assistant and consultant came forward with accusations of misconduct that were included in the proposed amended complaint.
Reached by phone, Rudd said he’ll be “seeking very substantial damages for her injuries plus punitive damages for the fraud and intentional torts,” as well as restitution and an injunction.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.