CHARLESTON – A woman is suing Charleston dentist Mark Simpson, claiming he failed to adequately address lesions in her mouth with developed into cancer.
Janet Williams filed her lawsuit March 23 in Kanawha Circuit Court.
Williams claims she went to see Simpson in April 2004 with complaints of a chronic lesion in her mouth.
Simpson performed a biopsy of the lesion, which showed it was a benign form of lichen planus/bullous lichen planus, according to the complaint.
Williams claims that Simpson told her no further treatment was necessary and ordered no follow-up care. Simpson allegedly told her the lesions would come and go.
Williams says she continued to suffer from the lesions after that and in October 2007 was diagnosed with mouth cancer. She blames Simpson for not advising her that the kind of lesions she was having could develop into cancer.
Williams claims she has had to have part of her face surgically removed because of the cancer and has incurred about $1 million in medical bills.
She is seeking damages.
James R. Akers II is representing the plaintiff. The case is before Kanawha Circuit Judge Irene Berger.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 09-C-508
Woman sues dentist after she develops mouth cancer
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