48-Year-Old North Carolina Woman, Joy Barbera, Tragically Dies After 10-Hour Combined BBL and Body Contouring Surgery in Houston – Husband Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleging Gross Negligence
A North Carolina family is speaking out after a 48-year-old woman tragically died following an intense 10-hour cosmetic surgery marathon in Texas — and now her husband is dragging everybody involved into court.
According to an exclusive story from PEOPLE, a newly filed wrongful death lawsuit says, Joy Barbera traveled from North Carolina to Houston, Texas, in August 2025 for what was supposed to be a life-changing cosmetic makeover. Instead, her loved ones told the magazine the surgery turned into a nightmare.
Barbera reportedly underwent a long list of cosmetic procedures during one single operation, including a Brazilian Butt Lift, breast augmentation with a lift, 360 liposuction, an arm lift, a circumferential body lift, and additional body contouring procedures. The lawsuit claims several plastic surgeons had allegedly refused to perform all the surgeries together because of the serious risks involved.
However, Dr. Kendall Roehl at Memorial Plastic Surgery in Houston reportedly agreed to complete everything during one operation that allegedly cost around $53,000.
According to court filings, the surgery allegedly began around 8:26 a.m. and lasted until after 6 p.m., with the magazine reporting that doctors operated on roughly 41% of her body during the procedure.
The lawsuit alleges things started going downhill while she was still inside the operating room. The lawsuit claim Barbera allegedly suffered major blood loss, dangerously low blood pressure, hypothermia, and fat emboli in her lungs. The suit also claims the outpatient surgery center reportedly did not have blood transfusion capabilities available during the emergency.
Her husband, Peter Ginnegar, claims Joy later called him sounding weak and disoriented before her condition rapidly worsened. She was reportedly revived multiple times before ultimately being declared brain-dead the following day. Reports state her official cause of death was hemorrhagic shock.
The grieving widower has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Harris County, Texas, accusing the doctor, anesthesiologist, surgery center, and staff of gross negligence.
According to PEOPLE, Joy Barbera had recently lost significant weight and wanted a full body transformation after struggling with excess skin following her weight loss journey.
Her husband now hopes her story serves as a warning to others considering extensive cosmetic procedures.
