A mediation session, set for July 8, 2025, will attempt to resolve the ongoing civil lawsuit between the District of Columbia and Vita Surgical Group LLC, a cosmetic surgery practice accused of operating without the necessary licenses. The lawsuit, initiated by the District, alleges that the plastic surgery group has violated local healthcare regulations governing surgical procedures.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Maurice Ross ordered the mediation after a recent hearing related to the case, which centers on the unlicensed performance of cosmetic surgeries. The lawsuit was prompted by complaints from four patients who underwent liposuction procedures at Vita Surgical Group.
If the mediation fails to yield an agreement, the case is scheduled to go to trial.
The District filed the civil lawsuit in August 2024, accusing Vita Surgical Group of failing to secure the required legal approvals to operate as a health care facility. The practice is alleged to have violated local laws that regulate surgical services and medical facilities.
Vita Surgical Group, headquartered at 908 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C., offers a range of cosmetic procedures, including liposuction, Botox, lip injections, and breast implants. The clinic also has additional locations in McLean, Virginia, and in Columbia and Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Henok Araya, the founder and lead physician of the practice, is the only doctor listed on the company’s website.
Court records indicate that since 2019, the District has repeatedly warned Vita Surgical Group about its noncompliance with the necessary accreditation requirements for performing such procedures. Despite these notifications, the clinic continued offering services without the proper legal approvals.
An investigation by the Department of Health’s Board of Medicine revealed that Vita Surgical Group has been operating without a license since its establishment in 2005.
The practice faces several serious charges, including the unlawful offering and provision of ambulatory surgical procedures without the necessary Certificate of Need, as well as the unlawful operation of an ambulatory surgical facility without a license, all in violation of D.C. law.
As the case moves forward, both sides are expected to attend the scheduled mediation in hopes of reaching a resolution before proceeding to trial.
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