A Tennessee woman received $3.45M in compensation after she suffered disfigurement from an "unnecessary" surgery.

A woman from Tennessee received a $3.45 million settlement following a lawsuit that claimed she suffered a "completely unnecessary" and "permanent" disfigurement as a result of surgery.

In 2017, Kellianne Goodnight underwent Mohr's surgery at the Chattanooga Skin and Cancer Clinic on Shallowford Road in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During the procedure, doctors removed several layers of her skin just above her nose, claiming they were filled with cancer cells. However, subsequent tests revealed that the layers were cancer-free.

According to the lawsuit, the doctors in Mohr's surgery would remove a layer of tissue from the crease of Goodnight's nose and face and examine it microscopically to determine if there were cancer cells, as reported by WZTV.

The doctors would repeat the process of removing and examining tissue layers until they found one without cancer cells.

According to the lawsuit, a third-party examination of the tissues removed by Dr. Mark G. Tusa and nurse practitioner Sharon Ann Brown found no signs of skin cancer.

The lawsuit claimed that Tusa did not inform the plaintiff of any additional or altered diagnosis.

After a follow-up procedure that lasted eight hours, Goodnight requested additional details. She was informed that the cancer had spread, was the size of a baseball, and was located under her nose and mouth.

According to the pathologist's opinion, Tusa misinterpreted the layers as basal cell carcinoma, but they were not.

The lawsuit stated that Dr. Tusa caused a significant, profound, irreversible, and unjustified scar on Kelliane Goodnight's face.

The lawsuit claims that the procedure resulted in "permanent disfigurement of her face and structural damage to the muscles beneath it."

Dr. Tusa's medical error has resulted in an unnecessary wound that has required multiple surgeries and is expected to require more in the future.

For months after the surgery, Goodnight felt embarrassed and humiliated by the devastating and horrendous wound on her face, which made her unable to go out in public without a mask.

Due to the procedure, Goodnight lost her job at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, as stated in the lawsuit.

Judge Michael Sharp of the Hamilton County Circuit Court ruled in favor of Goodnight and awarded her nearly $3.45 million in damages, including $800,000 for past pain and suffering, $500,000 for future pain and suffering, $1,500,000 for permanent impairment and disfigurement, $100,000 for the past loss of the ability to enjoy life, $400,000 for the future ability to enjoy life, and nearly $150,000 for past medical care and services.