Plastic surgeon refusing to return $15,000 payment despite surgery not taking place

Question

I received a quote for a cosmetic procedure during a consultation and signed a document acknowledging all procedures are non-refundable. 
 
Approximately 6 months later, I proceeded with scheduling the surgery. I was scheduled for surgery only 6 days prior to the operation and was hastily asked to pay the full balance ($15,000). I did. After that, I received the informed consent documents (about 3 days prior to the operation). Upon reading them, I realized there were a myriad of risks that had not been shared with me in any of my prior appts with the surgeon-- namely the procedure I was to undergo is THE MOST LETHAL cosmetic procedure in the United States by total fatalities and is BANNED in the UK due to the government's belief that the surgery is too dangerous.  
 
Mere hours after the documents were sent over, I canceled the surgery and requested a refund. The are refusing to return any portion of my money due to the document I signed saying procedures are non-refundable. Help!

Maurice Mandel II · Answer

This is a terrible situation for you.  Nothing is truly "NON REFUNDABLE"  The first thing I would do is to send a letter that clearly states you are "RESCINDING" the contract with the surgeon. 
The amount you are owed exceeds the $10,000 limit of Small Claims or you could go there but you can still go to SC but you must waive the excess over $10,000.   
You need to read what you signed, if there is an attorney's fee clause, that goes both ways.  Superior Court has a "limited jurisdiction" department for cases under $25,000.00 and things there are streamlined but not as consumer friendly as SC.  You should have an attorney in Limited. 
IMO the surgeon cannot just keep your money and not provide you with any services.  The law does not allow that.   
Contract Law—Rescission and Restitution 
Rescission of a contract terminates liability and restores the parties to their former positions by requiring each party to return any benefit received under the contract. CC §1692. The effect of a rescission is to extinguish the contract. CC §1688. The rescinding party is entitled to restitution. 
When faced with a party who has rescinded a contract, first determine whether the rescinding party’s election to rescind was justified, i.e., did the rescinding party have proper legal justification for rescinding, and second, adjust the equities between the parties by granting to each party the relief to which that party is entitled. CC §1692. 
                              Grounds for rescission include the following: 
 
Fraud (CC §1689(b)(1)),  POSSIBLE  
Mistake or misrepresentation (CC §1689(b)(1)),  THIS ONE APPLIES TO YOU 
     Restitution is a remedy for rescission. In other words, the rescinding party is entitled to restitution of the consideration given to the other party. 
 
The opinion above is based on the facts contained in the question without independent investigation.  Additional facts could substantially change the opinion. DO NOT RELY ON FEE LEGAL ADVICE OFFERED IN PUBLIC FORUMS, CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY OF YOUR CHOICE FOR YOUR IMPORTANT PERSONAL RIGHTS.

Q: Plastic surgeon refusing to return $15,000 payment despite surgery not taking place