Businesswoman sues cosmetic surgeon for £54m

A businesswoman, who claims her career was ruined after cosmetic surgery went wrong, is suing the plastic surgeon for £54m.

Penny Johnson, said she was forced to leave her job as director of a financial and IT consultancy, after the surgery, which was carried out by Dr le Roux Fourie, who now runs his practice from Methley Park Hospital near Leeds.

After the operation, which was carried out in 2003, Mrs Johnson claims that she was left with nerve damage around her cheek and eye which resulted in her having a noticeable twitch and she says she was unable to carry out her duties properly such as carrying out face to face meetings with important clients.

She says that the business, which she ran with her husband, suffered and was eventually sold in 2009. A preliminary hearing heard how, if the company had grown as expected, Mrs Johnson would have been earning around £600,000 a year. However lawyers for the surgeon, who has admitted negligence but disputes that the surgery caused her the financial losses, say that her business problems could have been caused by a number of factors including the economic downturn.

A 10-day hearing will take place at the High Court later this month.

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