TAMPA, Fla. — Since November, the ABC Action News I-Team has reported how plastic surgeon Dr. William Wright Adams operated on patients in the three years between his 2020 arrest and subsequent dismissal of a drug possession charge... and late last year when he pleaded guilty to a second possession charge and went to rehab.
We’ve heard from patients who said they had complications from procedures he performed during that time.
But I-Team investigator Adam Walser has learned none of his former patients could find lawyers willing to take their cases.
Scars, infections and additional surgeries
“That was my belly button uneven and my scar up very high,” Tiffany Soriano said, pointing to a photo on her laptop taken after her first surgical procedure with Dr. Adams.
“As soon as I opened the binder, I said ‘my belly button’s off center,’” Soriano said.
Tiffany Soriano said a tummy tuck and liposuction surgery from Dr. Adams resulted in complications, additional surgeries and painful recoveries.
“It’s been physically, emotionally, and financially daunting,” she said.
When asked if she talked to an attorney, Soriano replied, “Yes, I did try to speak with one, but it’s not really a case people want to take on.”
Four of Dr. Adams’ former patients shared their surgical complications with the I-Team.
All said they had difficulties in finding legal representation.
“We’ve called several, and they just won’t take the case. A lot of them don’t even give you an answer why,” said Diane D’Angelo.
She said her breast deflated, she got an infection and her surgical wound reopened nearly two months after the procedure.
“I look at my wedding pictures, and I look really nice. And now if I even thought to put on that dress, I couldn’t even wear it. My whole body changed,” D’Angelo said.
“I called two different attorneys, and they would not take my case,” Patti Montefusco said.
Montefusco had to go to a wound specialist after an infection following breast implant surgery.
“Just basically, we get turned around that there’s no case,” said Racheal Hoffman.
Hoffman said she underwent multiple surgeries and suffered infections.
She provided photos so graphic that we chose not to show them.
“We’re all going through this… heartbreaking, scars, healing, embarrassment, self-esteem... all of it rolled up into one,” Hoffman said.
Doctor was arrested for crystal meth possession while on his way to operate
As we first reported in November, Dr. Adams was arrested twice for possession of methamphetamine.
Deputies found crystal meth in Dr. Adams’ backpack when he was attending a court hearing in June 2020.
He pleaded “not guilty,” and the charge was dropped four months later.
Crystal meth was found in Dr. Adams’ SUV during a traffic stop in May of 2022 while he was on his way to his office to perform surgery.
“They’re putting someone to sleep right now for me to operate on. So I have to call them if I can’t be there,” Dr. Adams told the officers in a conversation caught on body camera.
18 months later, Adams pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and checked into a residential drug treatment facility.
“The burden would be on the plaintiff to prove there’s a correlation,” attorney Jack Gordon said when asked whether drug arrests could affect lawsuits against doctors.
Attorney Jack Gordon said even with bad surgical outcomes it is difficult to prove malpractice.
“The medical malpractice laws were designed to protect, insulate… to some degree immunize… physicians from liability,” Gordon said.
Gordon said bringing a case to trial takes years and costs tens of thousands of dollars.
“It requires a significant investment of time, energy, resources, and the like. And we have to take into consideration what the likelihood of a successful verdict is,” Gordon said.
“I didn’t lose a limb. Nobody died. So they don’t really want to take on a case, I guess,” Soriano said.
High burden of proof for plaintiffs
Under Florida’s malpractice statute, patients must prove they were injured, that the doctor caused the injury, and that the doctor violated the prevailing standard of care.
The latter condition must be based on the opinion of an expert in the same specialty before they can even file a malpractice lawsuit in Florida.
“The medical malpractice laws are not designed to protect consumers or patients,” Gordon said. “They were lobbied for by larger medical organizations like the AMA… the American Medical Association.”
“It’s great if you’re wearing a white jacket. Not so good if you’re a patient,” Gordon said.
Florida’s malpractice law was reformed in 2003 when lawmakers feared double-digit annual malpractice insurance rate increases would drive doctors out of Florida.
Those reforms established pre-suit requirements and set a two-year deadline to file medical negligence claims.
According to the Florida Department of Insurance’s 2023 report, “changes to the law have continued to benefit policyholders and the industry.”
That’s doctors and the insurance industry… not patients.
The report shows Florida malpractice insurance carriers spent nearly $475 million last year to pay for legal representation and to settle claims but collected premiums of nearly $835 million.
Gordon also said consent forms informing patients about risks of infections and other bad outcomes protect doctors in court.
“That’s why an attorney will not take it. We can’t prove where the infection came from,” Montefusco said.
“You can die as a result of surgery. That’s not medical malpractice. You signed an informed consent document that says, ‘I understand one of the known complications of this is I may develop an infection,’” Montefusco said.
While none of the patients we interviewed has sued Dr. Adams, Pinellas County court records show eight patients have initiated malpractice lawsuits since 1998.
Records from the Florida Office of Insurance show Dr. Adams settled four claims for more than $450,000.
The other claims were withdrawn by the plaintiffs and never made it to trial.
We sent Dr. Adams and his attorney an email and left a message for him at the rehab center, but we have not heard back.
“We should do everything we can to protect our patients, protect our consumers, and get the very best healthcare that we possibly can,” Gordon said.
The Florida Department of Insurance regulation keeps a list of all medical malpractice claims paid by physicians and facilities.
Here’s a link so you can search for malpractice settlements paid on behalf of your doctor.
If you have a story you think the I-Team should investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com
