Utah plastic surgeon is being sued by a former patient who claims that he tried to operate on her using a 'pickle fork' after her anesthetic wore off.

12:50 Utah plastic surgeon is being sued by a former patient who claims that he tried to operate on her using a 'pickle fork' after her anesthetic wore off. 0 Comments

Jennifer Swalberg scheduled an abdominoplasty and liposuction procedure with the clinic that Joseph Edward Berg ran in Orem in May 2011.

The lawsuit states that Swalberg's work was not professional and during one follow-up appointment he administered steroids and a local anesthetic, left the room for an hour and then returned where he 'repeatedly stabbed (Swalberg's) insides with a 'pickle fork'.

Dean Zabriskie, (left), appears with his client, Joseph Berg at the 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah

The horrific recount of the patient's visit to Berg is part of the lawsuit filed last week which alleges he committed health care malpractice, battery, lack of informed consent and negligence reported the Salt Lake Tribune.

Dr. Berg is alleged to have performed surgery on Jennifer Swalberg using a pickle fork

Ryan Springer, Swalberg's attorney, explained in the suit that 'Despite Dr. Berg's representations that he was an 'artist', Dr Berg left Jennifer with a series of jagged incision scars, lumps of hardened scar tissue; fat, skin and tissue necrosis from repeated steroid injections; and abnormal tissue distribution.'

According to Springer, the medical ordeal began when Swalberg visited Dr. Berg for cosmetic surgery after losing weight.

Instead of making a straightforward recovery, Swalberg alleges that she was told to wear compression garments, but was not informed 'regarding post-op drainage' said the Herald Extra

Filed last week, the lawsuit continues that Swalberg returned to Dr. Berg with pustulent wounds, 'draining blood and purulent fluid.'

Attending to Swalberg's complaint, Dr. Berg is accused of shoving gauze into her post-surgery wounds with his fingers and failing to take and record proper notes.

Paying Dr. Berg's Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Institute and Day Spa two more visits in June where she received similar treatment, Swalberg alleges that in August, she had been waiting for Swalberg for three hours when she heard a loud crash in the hallway.

Dr. Berg bows his head at the 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah

'Jennifer opened the door to see what had happened,' the documents state, 'and she saw Dr. Berg splayed out across the floor, his eyes open and glazed.'

It was during another August visit that Dr. Berg is alleged to have used a non-surgical instrument to perform surgery on Swalberg.

Administering steroids and local anesthetic to the wounds which had not healed after three months, Dr.Berg is supposed to have left Swalberg along for an hour.

When he returned he cut open the Utah woman's scarring, even though the anesthetic had worn off.

Taking to the open flesh with a 'pickle fork', Dr. Berg told Swalberg that the repeated stabbing would loosen the scar tissue, the lawsuit states.

'It was excruciatingly painful, and (Swalberg) began bleeding profusely...Dr. Berg instructed (Swalberg) to hold a paper wrapper against the site to control the bleeding.'

These new wounds refused to heal and became odorous and filled with blood and pus alleges Swalberg through her lawyer Springer.

Phoning Dr.Berg for another appointment, his staff refused to schedule one and then eventually stopped answering the phone states Swalberg.

In November of 2011, Dr. Joseph Berg was arrested for tying his girlfriend Lucelia Schwartz to a dresser with medical tape

'The scarring is permanent both on the inside and outside,' said Springer.

'We just don't want this to happen to somebody else.

'We want to send a message that this is improper.'

Indeed, the allegations from Swalberg coincide with findings by the state Division of Professional and Occupational Licensing that Dr.Berg's staff saw him taking drugs and falling asleep while standing up during the summer of 2011.

The allegations also state the fact that as relevant that Dr. Berg was sentenced to six months in Jail in April for attacking and kidnapping his longtime girlfriend Lucelia Schwartz in November of 2011.

Dr. Berg's girlfriend Lucelia Schwartz speaks at the sentencing for her boyfriend in April

With no previous criminal history, prosecutors pressed for the most lenient sentence for Dr. Berg after he tied his girlfriend to a dresser at his home and phoned 911 in distress.

After he was arrested by police for the November 2011 attack, investigators discovered that he was abusing prescription drugs and his medical license was revoked.

An emergency order from the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing in December of 2011 heard that Berg had 29 prescriptions for himself, one for a controlled substance, and 21 for his live-in girlfriend, the order said. 

Of those, 20 were for a controlled substance. Drugs illegally in his possession included hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl patches. 

Defending his actions to the judge during his April sentencing he said that he suffered from A.D.D and depression and would now be battling prescription pill addiction for the rest of his life.

The lawsuit from Swalberg seeks special, general and punitive damages and will be asking for at least $300,000.