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Donda West's surgeon faced malpractice suits, records show

  • Story Highlights
  • Beverly Hills surgeon is in also in trouble over several DUI cases, official said
  • Jan Adams has "multiple convictions for alcohol-related offenses"
  • Adams operated on entertainer Kanye West's mother a day before she died
  • Adams has settled at least two malpractice suits
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West's mother a day before she died is in trouble with the Medical Board of California over several DUI cases and has had judgments against him in at least two malpractice cases, according to legal documents filed in California.

Dr. Jan Adams has "multiple convictions for alcohol-related offenses," medical board executive director David Thornton said in his complaint charging Adams with violating the Medical Practice Act.

Adams has at least two convictions since 2003, when the doctor was put on probation and ordered to complete an alcohol counseling program, according to the complaint.

The complaint, dated April 10, also cites the convictions as evidence for charges of unprofessional conduct and abuse of alcohol. It requests that the medical board revoke or suspend Adams' license. Video Watch why Adams is under scrutiny »

Sources familiar with the investigation told CNN that a settlement was reached regarding Adams' most recent DUI, in 2006, and the type of disciplinary action he should face from the medical board. The settlement was sent to the board on November 2, the sources said, but it will likely take a month for the board to finish its work.

The sources also said the board probably will renew his license.

Adams' medical license expires on April 30, 2008.

Additionally, Adams has settled at least two malpractice suits, one for $250,000 and another for $217,000. Further details were not available.

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Adams has not responded to requests for comment about the medical board complaint or the malpractice suits. After telling TMZ.com that Donda West's death was an unforeseen circumstance unrelated to the surgery he performed, Adams released a statement refusing further comment about the death.

TMZ.com, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said that Adams performed surgery on West, 58, on Friday. She was found unresponsive and in respiratory arrest at her home the following day and was pronounced dead that evening after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

An autopsy on West's body was inconclusive pending the results of toxicology tests, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner said Tuesday.

Adams is the host of Discovery Health's "Plastic Surgery: Before and After" and has appeared frequently on "Oprah" and other television shows. He is the author of two books, "Everything Women of Color Should Know About Cosmetic Surgery" and "Health, Wellness and Cosmetic Surgery for the Woman of Color, Volume 2."

He also sells several lines of skin care products through his company Carswell Products, and another, called "Rudalgo" -- Adams' middle name -- through his company JRA Nutridermaceuticals.

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According to his Web site -- which has been taken down -- Adams graduated from Harvard university and the Ohio State University School of Medicine and studied plastic surgery at the University of Michigan.

Adams' bio page has been taken off the Discovery Channel's Web site as well. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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