Dr Semone Rochlin has being investigated by the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery multiple times from 2017-2025.
Dr Rochlin is not a plastic surgeon. She is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
Formal Complaints can be filed online at https://azdo.gov/
2025 Complaint with the Medical Board:
2022 Complaint with the Medical Board:
2018 Complaint with the Medical Board:
2017 Complaint with the Medical Board:
2025 Lawsuit:
Dr Rochlin performed surgery on a patient in April, 2024 and while the patient was naked, unconscious, and strapped to the operating table, she brought 2 men into the room and let them watch the surgery.
The patient was not aware that strangers were standing next to her body staring at her breasts and pelvic area without her knowledge or consent during her surgery.
Dr Rochlin performed liposuction on the sides of the patients body without her consent, and did not complete the breast lift as agreed in the consent forms.
The patient is currently suing Dr Rochlin for medical malpractice, medical battery, and violating her right to privacy.
Allegations of Medical Malpractice:
Dr Rochlin performed liposuction on the wrong part of the patients body. The patient signed consent forms for liposuction on her stomach. During surgery, Dr Rochin did liposuction on the sides of her body and her hips instead, without the patients consent.
Allegations of Medical Malpractice:
Dr Rochlin completed an implant exchange and breast lift, and the patient now requires a second surgery to repair the chest muscles. Both implants have shifted and are sliding down the patients chest underneath each breast, and resting on the patients ribcage and bulging out directly under the skin.
The patient has consulted with a plastic surgeon who specializes in corrective surgeries, and he advised that the cost to fix the breast lift will be over $39,000 as muscle repair will be needed along with a revised breast lift. Corrective liposuction will cost $8000.
Allegations of Medical Battery:
The patient only wanted an implant exchange, but Dr Rochlin convinced the patient to get a breast lift by promising the procedure would be done using the donut lift technique. The patient advised that under no circumstances would they consent to the surgery if it was done with the lollipop lift technique, and it was under that agreement that the patient moved forward with the surgery.
During surgery, Dr Rochlin completed the breast lift on both breasts using the donut lift technique, but then decided that she didn’t like how the right breast looked, so she performed a vertical incision lollipop lift on the right breast only, leaving the right breast with 3 incisions. In the post-op checkup, she acknowledged that she had done the vertical incision against the patients explicit instructions, the verbal pre-op agreement, and written consent forms.
She said in the post-op appointment, “I know we agreed not to do that incision, and I really thought about it during the surgery, but I decided the only way to make your breasts match was to cut your right breast. I looked at the other scars you got from your last surgery, and you healed so well that they’re hardly visible, so I decided to go ahead and do that incision because you heal really well, and the scar will hardly be noticeable. Don’t worry, it will be fine. We can do laser on it if it bothers you.”
Supreme Court Ruling on Medical Battery in Arizona:
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that it is considered medical battery when doctors lie to or mislead patients and perform procedures without a patients consent. When a patient gives permission for one type of treatment, and the doctor performs another, that is considered battery. For example, performing surgery with a technique that the patient specifically rejected before surgery.
Duncan v. Scottsdale Medical Imaging, Ltd., Supreme Court of Arizona, en banc (the full court),
CV-02-0191-PR, June 16, 2003.
Allegations of Violation of a Patients Right to Privacy:
Dr Rochlin brought 2 male medical students into the operating room while the patient was naked, unconscious, and strapped to the operating table. She did not get verbal or written consent from the patient, and the only way the patient found out about the men being allowed in the operating room is when she met one of the men during her post-op appointment.
Dr Rochlin brought one of the men into the patients post-op appointment and did not state that he was a student or request consent to have the man in the room and let him view the patient naked from the waist up.
The AMA Code of Medical Ethics 3.1.2 entitled: Patient Privacy & Outside Observers to the Clinical Encounter requires a patient’s explicit consent to allow students to observe and/or participate in patient care activities.
Dr Rochlin told the Arizona Medical Board that she has been a preceptor for 12+ years and during that time, she has never had patients sign consent forms allowing students to be present in the operating room.
Dr Rochlin’s lawyer stated that she is paid $800 per month for each student she allows to observe procedures in her office, and she typically has 2 students per month.
Midwestern University:
The patient filed a formal complaint with Midwestern University and spoke to the Dean of Education who said that the college signs contracts with doctors to become preceptors and there is no process in place to examine what occurs in the doctor’s offices.
There is no follow-up from anyone at the college to confirm if students are getting verbal or written consent from patients allowing them to be involved in their treatment and observe surgeries, or that students are being introduced during pre-op and post-op appointments and the doctor is obtaining consent for a student to be in the room.
She stated that what happens in the doctor’s office is the doctor’s responsibility and that Midwestern University takes no responsibility for any actions of their students during their observation hours at private clinics in Arizona, even if those actions violate women’s rights, dignity, and personal autonomy.
Lastly, she stated that she plans to take no action based on the formal complaint. Midwestern University is going to continue sending students to Dr Rochlin’s office with the prior knowledge that those students might be observing surgeries on unconscious women without their knowledge or consent.