BEVERLY HILLS—Actress Rita Guedes, best known for starring in soap operas in Brazil, was awarded $1.16 million on Wednesday, March 8 in a lawsuit against a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon who she said caused her to lose job opportunities after a facial procedure left her face looking enlarged, swollen and uneven.
Guedes sued Dr. Garo Kassabian in Santa Monica Superior Court in October 2011. The suit, which was tried in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleged that Guedes requested Botox treatments from Kassabian in July 2010, but he instead suggested Radiesse, a dermal filler that he injected in both of her cheekbones, promising her a more youthful look.
“I believed in him. He always said he was going to make me younger,” Guedes said during her testimony.
Kassabian repeated the procedure in January 2011, but Guedes’ face became enlarged, swollen and uneven, according to court documents. He later used a laser treatment to melt the Radiesse, but that caused her facial burns, the suit alleged.
During the trial, jurors were shown enlarged photos of how Guedes looked before and after her procedures. The actress indicated it took 2 years of further treatments and medication to bring back her looks and allow her to get steady work.
Brazilian independent film producer Meire Fernandes testified that Guedes was “really big in Brazil,” which is why she chose Guedes to host the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival Awards in 2010. She was prepared to pay Guedes $10,000 to host again in 2011, but the swelling and reddening of Guedes’ face made that impossible.
The Los Angeles Superior Court panel spent a day and a half deliberating before ruling in favor of Guedes against Dr. Garo Kassabian.
