The hospital at the centre of a court case featured in the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya is no longer required to pay hundreds of millions in damages.
Released in 2023, Take Care of Maya followed the story of Maya Kowalski, who, in 2015, began to experience symptoms of debilitating pain and breathing problems. She was later diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a health condition that leaves patients in debilitating agony.
However, when parents Jack and Beata Kowalski took Maya to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Florida in October 2016, the staff would accuse Beata of child abuse.
The claims stemmed from Beata's request for Maya to receive ketamine therapy, a previously prescribed treatment that was said to have helped her pain.
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However, Beata, who was a registered nurse, was accused of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, now known as factitious disorder imposed on another, where a person will either make up or cause symptoms to make someone appear sick.
The allegations led to Maya being placed in protective care after staff spoke to child services and barred from communicating with her mother while a judge investigated the claims.
The mental toll of the investigation would ultimately prove too much for Beata, who took her life in 2017. Her death led the Kowalski family to sue the hospital, alleging the investigation had caused Beata to take her own life, evidenced by a note left by the 43-year-old, which said she couldn't cope with 'being treated like a criminal'.
The family would win the case in 2023, with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital being found liable on counts of false imprisonment, medical negligence, battery, fraud, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on the family.
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A court then ruled that the hospital should pay the family $211,451,174 (£161 million) in addition to an additional $50 million (£38 million) in punitive damages. This was later lowered to a total of $213.5 million (£163 million).
However, a major update in the case saw the ruling reversed last month, with an appeals court saying the hospital was no longer required to pay the money.
The new ruling determined the hospital acted in 'good faith' when reporting Maya's case to social services, with a document from the case reading: "There was no clear and convincing evidence that JHACH actively and knowingly participated in or engaged in intentional misconduct or gross negligence."
They also ruled that the trial court had 'erred in submitting the punitive damages claims to the jury'.
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The ruling has been welcomed by Ethen Shapiro, the lawyer representing the hospital, who gave the following statement (via Fox 13): "This opinion sends a clear and vital message to mandatory reporters in Florida and across the country that their duty to report suspicions of child abuse and, critically, their good faith participation in child protection activities remain protected.
"We look forward to vigorously defending our doctors, nurses, and staff in a fair trial on the few remaining claims after rigorous and proper application of immunity."
Meanwhile, a representative for the Kowalski family said: "We’re disappointed by the decision, but the Kowalskis will persevere. Judge Smith’s concurring opinion emphasised Johns Hopkins’ outrageous actions towards Maya, and the next jury will see things just like the first one did. Johns Hopkins was ‘in charge of caring for and treating Maya.
"Instead, they exploited their position with full knowledge that Maya, a ten-year-old child, would not be able to endure such outrageous conduct."
LADbible Group has contacted the Kowalski family and Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital's legal representatives for additional comment.
Topics: US News, Netflix, Documentaries
Brenna Cooper