Woman Says Doc’s Breast Photos Got Her Fired

HOUSTON (CN) - A woman lost her job after a surgeon took photos of her breast and showed them to his staff, boss, neighbors, children and her clients, she claims in court.

Jane Doe sued St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and its employee Andrew Shippey in Harris County Court.

Doe claims she went to the hospital to have Shippey remove scar tissue on her breast from a previous reduction surgery.

"Defendant, Andrew Shippey, took before and after photos of the plaintiff's breast in connection with the scar removal," the complaint states.

"Over the course of spring 2011, and without the plaintiff's consent, defendant Andrew Shippey showed the photos to several members of his staff in St. Luke's, plaintiff's clients, and numerous members of the medical community.

"Defendant Andrew Shippey also showed the photos to his supervisor and CEO of the Physical Therapy Center, Bill Simmons."

Doe claims she found out Shippey was showing off her breast photos from her physical therapist on May 27, 2011.

"During the ensuing weeks plaintiff discovered how extensive defendant Andrew Shippey's disclosure was," Doe says in the complaint. "Specifically, plaintiff discovered that defendant Andrew Shippey had shown the photos of her chest to her clients, his neighbors and even his children.

"As a result of defendant Andrew Shippey's conduct, plaintiff lost her job at EMRI Inc. on June 9, 2011. Plaintiff cannot find suitable employment in the Houston area as a medical device representative and has been unable to find comparable employment in the same field since. In addition, plaintiff has suffered severe mental anguish as a result of countless people seeing the photos of her body that were entrusted to defendants."

Doe seeks punitive damages for intrusion on seclusion, public disclosure of private facts, infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract.

She is represented by Jessica Cartwright.

Although it seems apparent from the complaint that Shippey is a physician, the complaint never specifically identifies him as such.

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