Report: Christie Lap-Band Surgeon Faces Multiple Malpractice Suits

The doctor responsible for the Presidents Day Lap-Band surgery on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in hot water over several malpractice suits, according to a published report Sunday.

Dr. George Fielding, the chief of New York University’s Langone Weight Management Program, who performed the weight-reduction surgery on the governor and Jets coach Rex Ryan, has been sued by the families of three women who died and has been named in 12 malpractice suits – including a suit by former Met player Lee Mazzilli, whose teenage daughter suffered stomach perforations, the New York Post said.

In addition, Fielding is the subject of 11 lawsuits in Australia, where he used to work, according the report, and is involved in an ongoing whistleblower lawsuit.

The procedure involves constricting the stomach with an inflatable silicon ring that is wrapped around the upper part of the stomach, limiting the amount of food a person can intake, according to WebMD.com

Fielding has been assailed for his “entrepreneurial approach” in a blistering coroner’s report on the 2003 death of Shannon Tang, 21, the newspaper reported. In the coroner’s report, a probe found Fielding met Tang a day prior to the surgery and failed to do a preoperative workup or advise Tang of the risks involved in the surgery.

On Friday, Christie refused to disclose if he knew of Fielding’s history prior to his surgery, the report said.

Fielding referred all questions regarding the lawsuits to NYU, which declined to comment.