TikTok 'doctor' leaves woman brain dead after botched butt procedure
Key Takeaways
Industry Buzz
"As alleged, Felipe Hoyos Foronda provided an unlicensed medical treatment at a make-shift home clinic in Astoria that led to a 31-year-old woman's death." — Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, ABC 7
“These cases are no longer fringe anomalies. They reflect a growing subset of medical harm precipitated by misleading or fraudulent online promotion.” — John Fitch, JD, personal injury lawyer
More medical malpractice cases originate from social media now than in the past—and "doctors" with remarkable TikTok clout but insufficient medical qualifications are putting patients in harm’s way.
Earlier this year, a New York City man who posed as a doctor on TikTok was charged with performing medical procedures without a license after he allegedly botched an implant removal procedure, leaving her near death and without brain activity, the AP reported.[]
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In March 2025, a 31-year-old woman, Maria Penaloza, allegedly visited the home of Felipe Hoyos Foronda, a 38-year-old man without a medical license, for butt implant removal surgery—a service Hoyos Foronda allegedly advertised on his social media accounts.
There, he administered lidocaine, a local anesthetic, which allegedly led to Penaloza experiencing cardiac arrest. She was transported to a hospital where doctors determined she had no brain activity and showed signs of lidocaine toxicity; she died 14 days after the procedure.[][]
Hoyos-Foronda had been promoting various cosmetic procedures like this one, as well as Botox, body sculpting, and more, on his TikTok account, where he sometimes identified himself as a doctor. Authorities apprehended him at JFK International Airport as he attempted to board a flight. He was arraigned on charges of assault and unauthorized practice of a profession and was held without bail.
What's driving increased rates of malpractice cases?
John Fitch, JD, an Ohio-based personal injury lawyer and the founder of The Fitch Law Firm, who was not affiliated with the case, says the recent incident demonstrates the “seriousness of criminal charges that can arise when unlicensed individuals perform invasive medical procedures.”
Fitch adds that while traditional malpractice cases still comprise the majority of his malpractice work, social media is a growing influence, particularly in the field of aesthetic medicine.
“Patients drawn to these services often rely on online reputation rather than verified credentials,” Fitch says. “In many cases, they are unaware that the individual performing the procedure lacks medical training or legal licensure.”
He adds that while social media’s connection to malpractice may have appeared startling a few years ago, “these cases are no longer fringe anomalies. They reflect a growing subset of medical harm precipitated by misleading or fraudulent online promotion.”
TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are three popular social media platforms for doctors to advertise aesthetic procedures. These platforms are used by licensed professionals who promote their work, but they are also used by unqualified doctors to attract patients.
Related: 8 outrageous malpractice cases—and what physicians can learn from themThe future of medical malpractice cases
As injury lawyers continue to handle medical malpractice cases, they’ll have to be mindful of these social media influences—and keep an eye out for how things may continue to evolve.
“Social media has created an informal, largely unregulated channel for medical marketing and service promotion,” Fitch says. “As legal practitioners and regulators, we must adapt by focusing greater scrutiny on the actions of providers operating in these spaces.”
He adds that, “moving forward, attorneys will need to treat digital spaces as extensions of the clinical environment, particularly when harm arises from procedures that were misrepresented, unlawfully administered, or negligently performed as a result of social media marketing.”
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