Slain Plastic Surgeon Was Target of Several Malpractice Lawsuits

Police were investigating Friday whether a disgruntled patient may have fatally shot a plastic surgeon and critically wounded his office manager.

Dr. Michael Tavis had been sued a dozen times in Sonoma County, mostly in medical malpractice complaints. He also is named in two pending accusations of negligence and incompetence before the Medical Board of California.

“We’re looking into every possibility,” Sgt. Mike Kearns said.

Police said they had no new leads or suspects in Thursday’s shooting at Tavis’ medical office. His longtime office manager, Kay Carter, remained unconscious in critical but stable condition after surgery at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Fellow surgeon Barry Silberg said that, although rare, it is possible that an angry patient may have had a grudge against Tavis.

“The problem with this specialty is you get a lot of people who are not mentally stable,” Silberg said. “They come into the office and they want a cosmetic change to change their whole life.”

Tavis ran a solo practice out of an office in a medical plaza across the street from Petaluma Valley Hospital. He often performed surgeries on accident victims in the emergency room.