No class action has been certified against Avana Plastic Surgery, and no global settlement or public verdict against the Miami-based cosmetic surgery clinic has been reported as of mid-2026. What does exist, and what anyone researching an Avana Plastic Surgery lawsuit will find, is a stack of individual medical malpractice and negligence claims moving through Miami-Dade courts, a homicide investigation tied to a 2025 patient death, prior state discipline against one of the clinic’s surgeons, and more than 200 consumer complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau over three years.
The 2025 Death of Ahmonique Miller
Ahmonique Miller, a 28-year-old mother from Las Vegas, had a Brazilian butt lift and liposuction at Avana’s West Flagler Street location on March 6, 2025. Dr. Algird Mameniskis performed the procedure. Miller and her sister, Kiera Barnes, then stayed at a facility on SW Fourth Street in Miami advertising itself as “Keyla’s Recovery House.” Miller died there the next evening at 10:26 p.m.1Miami Herald. Cause of Death Revealed for Young Mother Who Traveled to Miami for Plastic Surgery
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled the cause “acute combined drug toxicity,” finding oxycodone and bromazolam — a designer benzodiazepine often found in counterfeit pills — in her system. The examiner found no evidence of acute surgical complications.2NBC Miami. Cause of Death Revealed for Young Mother Who Died at Recovery House
The recovery house was run by Keyla Oliver, who told investigators she had no medical license. Florida records show none for her or her facility, which a Miami police incident report called “an illegal post-plastic-surgery recovery home.” Police say Oliver admitted giving Miller two Percocet tablets. Barnes told police Oliver also gave Miller muscle relaxers from Barnes’ own prescription and additional Percocet from an unlabeled bottle, because Miller’s prescribed medication had not been picked up.1Miami Herald. Cause of Death Revealed for Young Mother Who Traveled to Miami for Plastic Surgery
Miami homicide detectives opened an investigation. As of June 2025, no criminal charges had been announced against Oliver. Oliver’s attorney, Bob Pardo, declined to comment. An Avana representative also declined to comment. The file shows no formal lawsuit filed by Miller’s family, though Barnes retained attorney Frantz McLawrence. Miller’s mother, Wakeelah Miller, launched an online petition pushing for legislation to regulate unlicensed recovery homes in South Florida.2NBC Miami. Cause of Death Revealed for Young Mother Who Died at Recovery House
Prior Discipline of Dr. Algird Mameniskis
The surgeon who operated on Miller had already been disciplined by the Florida Board of Medicine. A 2023 final order found that Dr. Mameniskis acted below the professional standard of care by failing to assess or communicate with a liposuction patient about post-operative complications. That patient had liposuction with fat transfer at Avana on February 26, 2021. Mameniskis provided a follow-up appointment the next day, but the Florida Department of Health alleged he was unavailable when she raised concerns about swelling and fatigue after returning home to California on March 5, 2021.3Miami Herald. Miami BBL Doctor Fined for Ignoring Post-Liposuction Patient
Mameniskis neither admitted nor denied the allegations. The Board fined him $9,454 total ($5,000 for professional conduct and $4,454 to reimburse investigation costs) and ordered a three-hour continuing medical education course in follow-up care and record keeping plus a five-hour course in risk management.3Miami Herald. Miami BBL Doctor Fined for Ignoring Post-Liposuction Patient
Consumer Complaints About Deposits, Pricing, and Cancellations
Avana is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Its BBB profile shows 206 complaints filed over the past three years, with 98 closed in the last 12 months alone. Of the total, 142 are marked “Answered,” 42 “Resolved,” and 22 “Unanswered.”4Better Business Bureau. Avana Plastic Surgery BBB Complaints
The recurring themes:
- Refund disputes over deposits, typically $350 but reaching as high as $7,800, that patients say were described as refundable during phone consultations.
- Allegations that surgical prices were raised after the deposit was paid, with some complainants citing the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
- Cancellations initiated by the clinic, sometimes shortly before surgery, with funds still withheld or cancellation fees still applied.
- Broken communication after initial contact, with promised refunds never arriving.
Avana’s responses consistently point to a signed Financial Policy that classifies deposits as “non-refundable administrative fees” and states that any verbal discussions before signing are “preliminary and non-binding.” The clinic’s position is that the written agreement governs regardless of which side initiates a cancellation.5Better Business Bureau. Avana Plastic Surgery BBB Complaints – Page 2
Beyond the BBB, one detailed November 2025 review on RealSelf described a “mommy makeover” performed by Dr. Stephanie Luster in July 2025 that ended with a confirmed Pseudomonas aeruginosa surgical site infection, emergency removal of a breast implant, nipple necrosis and eventual nipple loss, and an abdominal incision that broke open and required multiple debridements. The patient alleged Dr. Luster failed to recommend an urgent infectious disease consult despite repeated reports of drainage and wound breakdown.6RealSelf. Mommy Makeover Surgery at Avana Plastic Surgery Review
Individual Malpractice Claims and Florida Deadlines
Individual medical malpractice and negligence claims against Avana continue to be filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, with several reportedly in pre-trial discovery. Attorneys investigating the clinic are requesting public records from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration on facility inspections and deficiencies. The claims generally rest on medical malpractice, negligence, and informed consent theories tied to Brazilian butt lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.
If you are considering a claim, Florida law is strict on timing. You have two years from the date you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the potential malpractice injury, subject to an absolute four-year cutoff from the date of the procedure. A mandatory 90-day pre-suit notice period runs before a malpractice case can be formally filed.