American truck driver Phillip Seaton is suing a Kentucky surgeon after the medic amputated his penis without permission.
Mr Seaton, 64, had agreed to have an operation in 2007, but was only scheduled to have a circumcision to relieve inflammation to the organ.
However, once underway, Dr John Patterson said he found a rare and deadly cancer on Mr Seaton’s penis, and he took the ‘life-saving’ decision to remove it.
Dr Patterson says he removed less than an inch of the penis, and the rest was amputated by another doctor. Four photos of Mr Seaton’s crotch were shown to jurors, clearly showing the organ had been removed.
Mr Seaton told the court about his reaction when awoke from the operation: saying: ‘I pulled the dressing down, and I didn’t see nothing.
‘Then I came out of the restroom and I said, “I’m getting the hell out of this damn hospital”.’
Mr Seaton and his wife Deborah are now suing Dr Patterson for ‘loss of service, love and affection’ after the organ’s removal, seeking unspecified damages.
Mrs Seaton insists that Dr Patterson did not consult her over the procedure. ‘It’s his body,’ she said in court. ‘He should have a say in it.’
Dr Patterson responded by claiming that he did not think it wise to get permission from the patient’s wife.
‘My impression was she would not be someone I would ask what he would want,’ he explained.
Testimonies in the case continue.
