Dr. Rutledge has been sued many times in NC. If you go to the state cite to check his license, there is a wealth of information. There was also an expose about the mini-gastric bypass that hit several different newspapers and news stations here and also involved another doctor that was doing them who has now changed his name and moved to Michigan. I wouldn't let the man touch me with a 10 foot pole. As you can see, he has a public file with the North Carolina State Medical Board (all public information): http://www.ncmedboard.org/Clients/NCBOM/Public/Licensee_Details.aspx?&EntityID=26088&PublicFile=1<
He also made at least one omission on his original Nevada request for license (also public information): http://medboard.nv.gov/Meeting%20Minutes/September%204-5,%202003.pdf<
In the future, it might be a good idea to really research any bariatric surgeon you are considering, and include in that research states they used to practice in. He's well-known here in North Carolina. If you click on his public file, you can read all about it. There are also very good reasons why the vast majority of bariatric surgeons won't do this surgery and why the ASBS does not view the surgery as an acceptable one. It is also not a surgery that is covered by any reputable health insurer.

Please research Dr. Rutledge very carefully before you consider him.  There is a wealth of information out there.    You can go to the site on the North Carolina Medical Board website to read about him.  There is a public file against him.  Scroll down to all the public file entries.   Just paste the link into your browser.  According to the consent order (I think on the bottom of page 4 or 5, he admitted there was evidence which could show a lack of ethics and honesty on his application to practice in Nevada.  Additionally, the initial charges against him by the medical board are really disturbing and are never really well defended by him. http://www.ncmedboard.org/Clients/NCBOM/Public/Licensee_Deta ils.aspx?&EntityID=26088&PublicFile=1  It's a matter of public record, so I don't see anything wrong with posting it.  The more information we have regarding ethics of physicians we are considering, the better.

He is no longer licensed in North Carolina and was further even reprimanded by the NC Medical Board for not being fully honest about investigations against him in North Carolina as well on his application to practice in Nevada. http://glsuite.ncmedboard.org/DataTier/Documents/Repository/ 0/0/6/1/0f289ee1-8d65-4ae0-b111-ed87f7b528af.pdf I don't know - there's something disturbing to me about a doctor with this kind of record advertising on You Tube - even running his name and phone number across his videos. 

I would rather have a surgeon without a public record against him personally. Anyway - all of the above is a matter of public record and found on the North Carolina Medical Board website.