Dr. Thomas Jeneby, a San Antonio plastic surgeon, has been named in several lawsuits and formal complaints over roughly 15 years. The Dr. Jeneby lawsuit history includes multiple patient malpractice suits filed between 2009 and 2018, 11 Texas Medical Board complaints from former breast augmentation patients, and a 2024 federal wage-and-hour collective action brought by former employees. The malpractice cases were dismissed and the board complaints were closed without a finding of violation. The employment case settled in 2025.
The 2024 Federal Wage-and-Hour Lawsuit
The most recent case against Jeneby was filed on the employment side, not the medical side. In September 2024, two former employees, Leslie Nicole Knight and Alveza Valenzuela, sued Jeneby and eight associated business entities in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The case is Knight et al v. Jeneby et al, No. 5:24-cv-01097.1PACER Monitor. Knight et al v. Jeneby et al
The plaintiffs alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. According to counsel for the workers, employees were classified as salaried but had their pay docked when they worked fewer than 40 hours in a week, and were not paid overtime when they worked more than 40.2Trellis Law. Knight v. Jeneby The suit was brought as a collective action so other employees could opt in.
The corporate defendants named alongside Jeneby personally were The Plastic and Cosmetic Center of South Texas, P.A.; Palm Tree Plastic Surgi-Center, LLC; Trilogy by Dr. Jeneby, Inc.; Advanced Medical Support Services, PLLC; Chrysalis Cosmetic Surgery Center, PLLC; South Texas Aesthetic Training, LLC; Shining Palm Tree Series, LLC; and Maximus Plastic Surgery Center, PLLC.1PACER Monitor. Knight et al v. Jeneby et al
The parties reached a settlement in June 2025. On July 10, 2025, Judge Xavier Rodriguez signed an order dismissing the case with prejudice, which bars the claims from being refiled. The settlement terms were not made public.1PACER Monitor. Knight et al v. Jeneby et al
Medical Malpractice Suits
Jeneby has been sued for malpractice at least six times. Three of those suits were dismissed in 2009, 2010, and 2014.3KSAT. State Investigating Claims Local Plastic Surgeon Failed to Treat Infections, Complications A malpractice suit was filed in February 2018, and at least two additional suits were filed by patients that same year. A Bexar County judge dismissed the two 2018 lawsuits and awarded Jeneby attorney fees and costs.4KSAT. Texas Medical Board Dismisses 11 Complaints Against SA Plastic Surgeon Dr. Thomas Jeneby
The underlying claims from 2018 patients centered on post-operative care after breast augmentation. Patients described serious infections, including MRSA, E. coli, and Pseudomonas, along with deformities that required additional surgeries and implant removal. One patient, Starr Marks, had her implants removed and underwent 20 hyperbaric chamber sessions after being diagnosed with MRSA and E. coli infections following an April 2016 surgery.3KSAT. State Investigating Claims Local Plastic Surgeon Failed to Treat Infections, Complications
Jeneby disputed the patients’ accounts. He said complications typically stemmed from patients not following post-operative and wound-care instructions, cited a 90% patient satisfaction rate, and estimated a complication rate of 3 to 4 percent across approximately 4,800 surgeries.3KSAT. State Investigating Claims Local Plastic Surgeon Failed to Treat Infections, Complications
Texas Medical Board Complaints
At least three of the 2018 patients also filed complaints with the Texas Medical Board, which opened an investigation into Jeneby’s post-operative care. By December 2018, the board had received and dismissed 11 complaints. After a chart review by two board-certified plastic surgeons, the TMB concluded there was “insufficient evidence to prove a violation of the Medical Practices Act occurred,” and found that Jeneby had “properly evaluated” his patients and “appropriately treated their postoperative breast surgery complications.” At least one former patient said she planned to appeal.4KSAT. Texas Medical Board Dismisses 11 Complaints Against SA Plastic Surgeon Dr. Thomas Jeneby
The board had previously issued a minor violation against Jeneby in 2009 for advertising it deemed “false, misleading or deceptive.” Publicly available records do not detail the specifics of that infraction.3KSAT. State Investigating Claims Local Plastic Surgeon Failed to Treat Infections, Complications
A Note on the Livestreaming Coverage
Jeneby drew separate national attention for broadcasting cosmetic surgeries on Snapchat and Facebook Live, a practice he defended as patient education and critics called unethical.5Inside Edition. Meet the Cosmetic Surgeon Who Livestreams His Procedures for All to See That coverage was not itself a lawsuit or a regulatory action, and it did not result in any known legal proceeding against him in the file record.