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and feel better about herself in 2011.
But on Dec. 27, the 35-year-old from Coral Gables,
Fla., died just a few hours into her procedure for
abdominal liposuction and buttock injections, which
she was undergoing at a private cosmetic surgery
clinic in south Florida.
Spencer Aronfeld, the attorney representing the
Zelaya family, said the family was told by employees at
the Strax Rejuvenation Clinic, a private center in Ft.
Lauderdale, that Lidvian would be able to go home
shortly after the procedure.
Zelaya, a U.S. resident from Nicaragua, underwent
breast augmentation at the same clinic a few years
ago with no complications.
"She had some degree of confidence in the facility,"
said Aronfeld.
But three hours into the procedure, clinic assistants
told Zelaya's husband that something had gone
wrong. Zelaya was rushed to Florida Medical Center,
where she was pronounced dead.
"We don't know precisely what went wrong," said
Aronfeld, who has handled cosmetic procedure
malpractice cases for more than two decades.
"Something didn't go appropriately in this case. Right
now I'm in investigative mode rather than accusatory
mode," he said.
"Right now I'm bound by federal privacy laws," said
Phillip Feanney, general counsel who represents Strax
Rejuvenation.
According to Feanney, Strax Rejuvenation is unable
to confirm Zelaya was a patient at the Fort Lauderdale
clinic. The clinic is awaiting routine medical error
reports, he said.
Cosmetic surgery is common among many people
clinics compete with flashy advertisements and s
pecial promotions aimed at south Florida residents.
According to the family, Zelaya was in perfect medical
condition, and the clinic cleared her through a pre-
operative screening. Now, the family is urging anyone
considering cosmetic surgery to undergo a second,
pre-surgical health evaluation by an independent
primary care physician.
"I think it's an inherent conflict of interest if you are
getting screened by the surgeon who wants to do the
procedure," said Aronfeld.
Aronfeld said he is looking into the clinic's history
and Gordon's background.
According to public records, Dr. Roger L. Gordon,
Zelaya's consulting plastic surgeon at Strax
Rejuvenation Clinic who allegedly performed the
procedure, has had 20 lawsuits filed against him
since 2004.
Public records filed by the Maryland Board of
Physicians show that he was put on probation, but
the reason was not disclosed. In Florida, Gordon had
his staff privileges terminated from the Florida
Medical Center, however public records do not
"We are not in the role of accusing, we're in the
process of investigating," Aronfeld said.
The family said they are awaiting medical records
and autopsy results before deciding to file a lawsuit.
"At this time we have a lot of questions. We want to
know who screened her, how she was screened, and
what happened," said Aronfeld.
ABC News' Lauren Pearle contributed to this report.
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