By Jordyn Britton

Howard University News Service

D.C. Superior Court Judge Maurice Ross ordered mediation for the District of Columbia’s civil lawsuit against Vita Surgical Group LLC during a recent hearing about unlicensed cosmetic procedures.

The lawsuit, which was sparked by complaints from four patients who had undergone liposuction, will go to trial if the two parties are unable to reach a settlement. The mediation session is scheduled for July 8, 2025.

The district filed a civil lawsuit in August 2024 accusing the defendant of operating without the required legal approvals in violation of local regulations governing health-care facilities and surgical services.

The main clinic for Vita Surgical Group is at 908 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Suite 400, in Washington. It offers several cosmetic medical procedures on its website such as liposuction, Botox, lip injections and breast implants. It also has locations in McLean, Virginia, and in Columbia and Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Henok Araya leads the medical practice and is the only physician mentioned on the company’s website.

Since 2019, the district has repeatedly notified Vida Surgical Group of its failure to comply with rules regarding proper accreditation to perform the procedures it has been advertising and offering to patients, according to court documents.

An investigation by the Department of Health Board of Medicine confirmed that the medical practice had been operating without a license since its opening in 2005.

Vita Surgical Group has been accused of Unlawful Offering of Ambulatory Surgical Procedures Without a Certificate of Need (D.C. Code § 44-401(a)), Unlawful Provision of Ambulatory Surgical Procedures Without a Certificate of Need (D.C. Code § 44-401(a)) and Unlawful Operation of An Ambulatory Surgical Facility Without a License (D.C. Code § 44-502(a)).

Jordyn Britton is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.