On this day, the law offices of Barry Levinson have nearly reached capacity. As the I-Team interviews client, after client, after client, potential clients crowd another room, each in response to an advertisement about a company with its own aggressive marketing -- the Valley Eye Center.
"Every single person who has walked through this door has some kind of problem, whether it's minor or major. Some of the minor stuff can be corrected, but some of the major stuff, some people are blind from it," said Levinson.
People like Mary Lydich, who claims her Lasik surgery in May of 2007 cut her perspective in half.
"My vision -- this eye is gone. This eye is gone. I have some vision in this eye, but it's distorted. I can't even get out and cut a rose in my yard anymore."
Lydich is one of four patients pursuing a class action lawsuit against the Valley Eye Center, its former surgeon, Dr. Stella Chou, its owner, Dr. Anamika Jain, and its administrator, Dr. Vikas Jain, among others.
Read the Board of Medical Examiners complaint
Included in the allegations are deceptive trade, breach of contract and consumer fraud.
Ads for Valley Eye Center, according to the complaint, guarantee discount Lasik at a standard of care the clinic doesn't provide.
"He's a good marketer, I've got to say that. He's a bad doctor, but he's a good marketer," said Levinson.
He is Vikas Jain, AKA Ken Johnson, AKA Dr. Ken. He's not actually a doctor. The Ohio Medical Board revoked his license in November of 2005 finding he harmed more than 20 patients.
The state's expert testified Jain had a, "sloppy, shoddy, slash and dash style of patient care."
Read the class action complaint
At least 14 patients of the Valley Eye Center claim Jain provided their pre-operative and post-operative care, procedures that, according to the lawsuits, only a licensed doctor may perform.
Jain, a recovering alcoholic sober six years, points to his history as the reason for, and the defense against, the latest allegations, "Dr. Chou knew everything about me. I didn't hide anything from her from day one. She was a very intelligent surgeon, is an intelligent surgeon. Do you think she is going to push the envelope in terms of candidacy for patients with my history? Do you think?"
Jain insists he acted as a technician and not a physician. He disagrees with any claim to the contrary, "You know how attorneys are. They smell blood in the water. They're like, ‘Let's get on the gravy train here. We have a good thing here. We're going to get lots of patients together, we're going to kind of talk to them and remember what he said. Was it Dr. Ken? Yeah, it was Dr. Ken, ok.'"
Levinson has an equally antagonistic response, "Every person I see that comes in this door cannot be wrong."
Back at Levinson's office, Lydich surrenders her seat, "I would like to say this to them, that you've taken from me everything that was important to me, to be able to see the faces of my grandchildren."
Jain insists the problems experienced by the patients named in the class action lawsuit were not caused by their Lasik surgeries. That will be determined by medical experts in a court of law.
The medical board has scheduled its hearing for early next year. The Nevada Attorney General's Office says they are nearing the end of their investigation.
Tomorrow at 5, we'll take a look at the recent action taken by the Bureau of Licensure.
Jain lost his medical license in 2005 for harming more than 20 patients in the state of Ohio.
