Plastic surgeon ordered to pay $22M over hidden clinic cameras
Dr. Martin Jugenburg, known as "Dr. 6ix," breached patient privacy through 24 surveillance cameras. The court's ruling is a landmark win for privacy.
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 surveillance cameras hidden throughout his clinic.
Dr. Martin Jugenburg operated 24 cameras at the Toronto Cosmetic Surgery Institute, formerly located inside the Royal York Hotel, between 2017 and 2018. A five-week common issues trial that concluded in December 2025 found him negligent and liable for intrusion upon seclusion — a legal finding that recognizes the violation of patients' reasonable expectation of privacy.
The ruling is significant because it sets a precedent for healthcare privacy in Ontario. Patients undergoing cosmetic procedures have an explicit expectation that they will not be recorded without consent, particularly in sensitive areas like change rooms and surgical suites.
Jugenburg, who built a significant social media following partly through before-and-after content, was previously known for promoting his practice online. The case reveals the tension between cosmetic surgery as both a medical procedure and a content-generating business — and the legal limits of that model.
The $22 million judgment sends a clear message to any healthcare provider considering similar practices: patient privacy isn't negotiable, no matter how popular your brand.