Dr. Arnold Klein, the A-list dermatologist who once treated several of Hollywood’s biggest stars, continues his steady decline that started after the 2009 death of his long-time patient Michael Jackson.
Once deemed the “the father of modern cosmetic dermatology” by his office manager, Jason Pfeiffer, the celebrity skin doctor fell into financial trouble in the early 2000s, according to Radar Online. At that time, many of his A-list clients stopped coming in for treatments, causing the dermatology practice to suffer.
Despite the loss of a big chunk of his business, Klein continued to excessively spend money as he had before, purchasing lavish vacation homes, expensive art and jewelry.
Jackson, who returned to the U.S. in 2009 after having lived abroad, made numerous visits to Dr. Klein’s office for treatments in the months before his death. Klein provided the King of Pop with injections of Demerol, a strong painkiller, among other medications. Jackson’s bills totaled $80,000.
His old office manager claimed that Klein “did think that Michael Jackson was the savior and he was going to put him back on the pedestal,” according to Radar Online.
After the death of legendary singer in June of 2009, Klein’s reputation went down the drain, and the dermatologist found himself worse off than before. In the beginning of 2011, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Bradley Sharp, the trustee who has been supervising Klein’s bankruptcy, recently stated in a court docket that the case was littered with inconsistencies and misconduct. It was discovered that Klein’s real estate value, which he claimed to be a whopping $28 million, was only worth $13 million. He also placed an art and memorabilia collection at $7 million, but the collection, containing items that had belonged to Michael Jackson, sold for a mere $1 million.
Sharp has requested that the court change the bankruptcy filing from Chapter 11, which involves a reorganization, to Chapter 7, which requires the individual to liquidate bills. The court is expected to accept the request in order to keep Klein under their supervision.