John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has filed for a retrial in the lawsuit brought by Netflix’s Maya Kowalski only two weeks after she was awarded $261 million. The hospital was found guilty of falsely imprisoning and battering Kowalski but is now alleging that the jury foreman violated strict conduct rules. The hospital has accused juror Paul Lengyel of sharing information about the case with his wife during the trial, who then posted it on social media.
Maya, who was 17 years old, was removed from her family when she was 10, after doctors accused her parents of faking symptoms for her rare condition, complex regional pain syndrome. After a jury found emotional distress caused to her mother led to her suicide in 2017, Kowalski’s family was awarded damages. Attorneys for the hospital have claimed that information about the case was shared outside of the courtroom and that it’s indicative of bias in favor of the plaintiffs.
The hospital’s liability for Maya’s false imprisonment, battery, fraudulent billing, emotional distress to her mother, wrongful death, and emotional distress towards Maya were also determined. The trial will have a long-lasting impact on families experiencing similar situations. The legal and ethical issues of the trial are complex, but they are important to acknowledge and understand.
