A Georgia plastic surgeon accused of butchering the faces of multiple female patients has had his medical license renewed.
Dr. Harvey ‘Chip’ Cole is being sued by ten former patients who claim he permanently disfigured them with botched procedures at Northside Hospital facilities.
But last month, the Georgia Composite Medical Board renewed his license for a further two years, online records show.
However, his profile indicates that he does not have any hospital privileges the Atlanta-Journal Constitution first reported.
Attorney Alex Seay who represents Cole’s former patients called the decision a, ‘slap in the face to our clients’.
‘This is why our civil justice system is so important, he said. ‘The agencies in charge of protecting Georgians are not doing it.’Â
Cole, also known as ‘the eye guy’, denies any wrongdoing. He operates Oculus Plastic Surgery and promises ‘unparalleled expertise’, according to his website.Â
He is accused of botching patient’s surgeries at various Northside Hospital locations between 2022 and 2023.Â
A plastic surgeon accused of butchering the faces of multiple female patients has had his medical license renewed
Harvey ‘Chip’ Cole of Oculus Plastic Surgery is being sued by ten patients who claim he permanently disfigured them with botched procedures
Former patient Kayla Cannon, 29, provided photos which she claims show how she was left with sunken eyes following a surgery by Cole in 2022
The hospital group is also being sued over allegations of negligence and confirmed in December that Cole is not an employee.
Among those suing Cole is Julie Kimmerling, who claims the surgeon nicked a blood vessel and nerves in her neck during a procedure in January 2023.
Kimmerling was left with permanent brain injuries and facial paralysis after losing more than a liter of blood, according to her complaint.
Cole denied all allegations in the lawsuit and said that her treatment is described in her medical records, which ‘speak for themselves.’
Former patient Kayla Cannon, 29, provided photos which she claims show how she was left with sunken eyes following a surgery by Cole in 2022.
She claims that Cole cut away too much tissue from her eyelids, damaged her eye and also failed to remove cheek implants after they got infected.
Cannon was born with a birth defect that means she has no muscles at the bottom of her eyelids, and has already undergone multiple surgeries.
‘He said that I can fix you, I can make you better,’ she told WSB. ‘I’ve always struggled with my appearance, and I was just very excited to finally get to be happy.’
She told the outlet that she was talked into have cheek implants as well as the eye surgery.
Cole has denied the allegations against him which come from several patients who went under the knife in 2022 and 2023
‘He took half my lid off, so it was extremely tight. And he kept saying, I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it. Then I got infections on my cheeks’, she added.
Cannon has now had seven more surgeries to try and fix the injuries, adding: ‘I look worse than when I started seeing him. Permanent scarring that will never go away.’
The doctor has also previously been the subject of malpractice lawsuits featuring similar allegations.
 Kimmerling’s case cited five former examples including a settlement over the 1999 death of Jeannie Huff during an eyebrow lift surgery.
Another woman alleged that her face became infected after Cole used dirty surgical tools for her operation, according to her attorney.
While in 2008, Betty Nestlehutt and her husband won a $1.2 million payout after accusing Cole of destroying the blood supply to her face and leaving her with permanent disfiguration.Â
Last year, Cole and his wife Susan Cole filed for bankruptcy after four patients sued him for malpractice.
The couple declared $13.6 million in debts and $37,000 in assets. Since then, a further six patients have launched legal action.
Betty Nestlehutt and her husband won a $1.2 million payout after accusing Cole of destroying the blood supply to her face and leaving her with permanent disfiguration.
Jason Jones, the Georgia Composite Medical Board’s executive director, said that the board treats complaints with, ‘the utmost seriousness’, but that no public action has been taken against Coe.
‘Every investigation is unique and requires time to ensure that all concerns are thoroughly addressed,’ Jones said.
 ‘We are currently reviewing and assessing all internal processes to ensure continued integrity and effectiveness in our regulatory responsibilities.’