In a recent development, Maya Kowalski, the plaintiff in a $220 million malpractice lawsuit against a Florida hospital, was seen socializing, contradicting her lawyers' claims that she was too incapacitated by pain to attend her trial.
The teenager's legal team had previously stated that her Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a neuropathic disorder, had been exacerbated by the pressures of the court proceedings. "Maya has CRPS lesions reappearing. Its not good," stated her attorney, Gregory Anderson, as reported by Court TV.
However, attorneys for Johns Hopkins All Medical Center countered these claims on Tuesday, presenting social media images of Kowalski enjoying an outing with friends. This evidence, they argued, demonstrated that her health was not as dire as her legal team had suggested.
The lawsuit stems from a series of events that began in 2015, when Kowalski's mother, Beata, admitted her then 10-year-old daughter to the hospital, insisting on risky ketamine treatments for her symptoms. The hospital staff, dubious of Beata's unconventional demands, alerted Florida child welfare authorities. Consequently, Maya was removed from her parents' custody and became a medical ward of the state.
Following an 85-day separation from her daughter and facing child abuse allegations, Beata Kowalski tragically took her own life. The Kowalski family is now suing the hospital for $220 million, alleging wrongful commitment of Maya and cruel separation from her mother.
Maya Kowalski has testified that she continues to suffer from the debilitating effects of her disease and accused hospital staff of disregarding her complaints while she was under their care. However, hospital attorney Ethen Shapiro pointed to the recent social media images as evidence of her apparent good health. "This is the life of Maya Kowalski today," Shapiro told the judge. "Shes at her prom, shes out in heels, has friends its in complete contradiction to her testimony."
The defense has suggested that Beata Kowalski may have been suffering from Munchausen by Proxy syndrome, a condition where caregivers fabricate or exaggerate a child's ailments for attention. Maya's father, Jack Kowalski, is alleging false imprisonment, medical malpractice, and infliction of emotional distress.
Beata Kowalski had previously advocated for Maya to undergo a ketamine coma in a Mexican clinic, claiming the treatments had provided relief for her daughter. A doctor who had prescribed prior ketamine treatments for Maya testified that the approach was medically sound.
However, Dr. Elliott Krane, Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology and Chief of Pain Management at Stanford School of Medicine, testified for the defense, stating that the ketamine regimen was dangerous and not permitted in the United States.
The trial is still underway, with jurors deliberating whether Kowalski's doctors wrongfully dismissed her mother's suggested treatments or had valid reasons to suspect she was jeopardizing her child's health.
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