The lawsuit alleges Junis Maldonado suffered seizures and cardiac arrest during a May liposuction procedure at a San Antonio clinic.
SAN ANTONIO, TX — The family of Junis Maldonado is suing cosmetic surgery company Sono Bello and plastic surgeon Dr. Dare Ajibade, alleging a May liposuction procedure caused a medical emergency that deprived the mother of three of oxygen and left her with severe, permanent brain injuries.
The medical malpractice lawsuit, filed June 23 in San Antonio, alleges Maldonado suffered multiple seizures and cardiopulmonary arrest during a May 14 TriSculpt liposuction procedure. She required resuscitation and emergency hospital treatment, according to the family’s legal filings. The complaint alleges the loss of oxygen caused a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury that has profoundly affected Maldonado’s ability to function independently.
Maldonado was 27 when she underwent the procedure, according to the lawsuit. Her family’s attorneys say she now requires a tracheostomy and feeding tube and faces significant long-term cognitive, neurological and physical disabilities. Recent reporting described her as being in rehabilitation. The lawsuit seeks damages for medical care and other losses, but the allegations have not been proven in court.
The family’s complaint focuses in part on medications administered before and during the procedure. It alleges Maldonado received several drugs with sedating and blood-pressure-lowering effects before surgery. During the operation, her blood pressure dropped to a level the family’s lawyers describe as consistent with shock, yet the infiltration of a solution containing the local anesthetic lidocaine continued, according to the complaint. The filing alleges Maldonado ultimately received about 3,750 milligrams of lidocaine before developing seizures and going into cardiopulmonary arrest.
The lawsuit accuses Ajibade and Sono Bello of medical negligence and argues the clinic should have provided greater supervision and safeguards. Sono Bello and Ajibade have not been found liable. A spokesperson representing the surgeon and the clinic previously told ABC13 Houston that they could not comment on pending litigation and said patient safety was their highest priority.
The case comes as Ajibade has faced scrutiny in other malpractice matters. In August, ABC13 reported that four malpractice lawsuits had been filed against him within roughly a year. Those included a Virginia wrongful-death case stemming from a 2024 liposuction and fat-transfer procedure, as well as Texas cases alleging serious injuries following cosmetic procedures. Ajibade has denied negligence allegations in at least one of those cases, and the claims remain subject to litigation.
Texas Medical Board records also show regulatory action involving Ajibade. In December 2025, the board approved a remedial plan involving him. Public reporting on the plan said the board found that care during a liposuction procedure did not meet the standard of care because of the procedure’s duration and the way equipment was used. In August 2026, the board listed Ajibade among physicians receiving agreed orders involving standard-of-care issues. Regulatory action is separate from the Maldonado lawsuit and does not establish liability in her case.
Ajibade has also been named in a Virginia lawsuit involving Susan Easley, a 59-year-old woman who died days after undergoing liposuction and fat transfer at an AirSculpt facility in Vienna, Virginia, in 2024. That lawsuit alleges Ajibade administered an excessive amount of lidocaine and failed to recognize symptoms of toxicity after the procedure. The defendants have disputed allegations in that litigation, and the case has not resulted in a finding that Ajibade caused Easley’s death.
The Maldonado case also adds to broader litigation involving large cosmetic surgery chains. KFF Health News reported that patients have filed numerous malpractice cases against multistate cosmetic surgery companies, including Sono Bello. The existence of lawsuits does not establish that medical negligence occurred. Sono Bello has denied allegations made against it in other pending cases and has said its surgeons retain responsibility for medical decisions involving their patients.
Maldonado’s family is continuing to pursue the San Antonio lawsuit while she receives ongoing rehabilitation and medical care. No final ruling has been reported in the case, and the allegations against Sono Bello and Ajibade remain unresolved in court.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.