Toronto surgeon ordered to pay $22M for recording patients

A Toronto plastic surgeon known online as "Dr. 6ix" has been ordered to pay more than $22 million after an Ontario judge found he breached patient privacy through the use of surveillance cameras throughout his clinic.

In a ruling following a five-week common issues trial that concluded in December 2025, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found Dr. Martin Jugenburg negligent and liable for intrusion upon seclusion over the use of 24 surveillance cameras at the Toronto Cosmetic Surgery Institute, formerly located inside Toronto's Royal York Hotel, between 2017 and 2018.

Jugenburg, who has built a large social media following (and still boasts over 140,000 followers on Instagram), was best-known for performing breast augmentations, Brazilian butt lifts, and tummy tuck procedures.

According to the court's findings, the cameras were located in areas where patients would expect privacy, including consultation, examination, and operating rooms. The surveillance system was first exposed in a CBC Marketplace undercover investigation in November 2018 and was later seized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).

Former patients testified during the trial that they felt "violated," "shocked," "betrayed," and "humiliated" after learning about the cameras.

According to the ruling, Justice Paul Schabas rejected Jugenburg's defence that the cameras were installed as a general security measure for the benefit of those at the clinic, finding his evidence was not "credible or reliable."

The court also found that the clinic took no steps to inform patients about the existence of the surveillance cameras, and that they were used exclusively to resolve disputes in Jugenburg's own favour.

"Every patient has an expectation of privacy, which was breached," Justice Schabas concluded, noting that the privacy breach was "highly offensive and would reasonably cause distress, humiliation and anguish to Class Members."

As a result, Jugenburg has been ordered to pay $21.5 million in aggregate damages for intrusion upon seclusion and $1 million in punitive damages, for a total of $22.5 million.

Although the common issues portion of the class action lawsuit has now concluded, individual damages assessments related to negligence and breach of fiduciary duty claims are still pending.

According to Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP, the legal team representing the class action, class members are still able to pursue further compensation through the upcoming individual claims phase if they suffered injuries or other harms as a result of the surveillance system.