St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital has filed an appeal in a case made famous by a Netflix documentary, arguing that it wasn't allowed a fair trial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported Aug. 3.
The appeal, submitted Aug. 2 to Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal, requests the court overturn the final judgment issued by Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll. The judgment awarded the Kowalski family, who filed a lawsuit against the hospital in 2018, $208 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The hospital seeks a ruling in its favor regarding the claims of wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.
The hospital is also seeking a new trial, arguing that the trial court misinterpreted Chapter 39 immunity statutes. Additionally, All Children's is contesting the damages awarded to the Kowalski family and aims to address any claims that persist after the appeal.
The appeal follows a verdict nine months ago, when a six-person jury awarded the Kowalski family more than $261 million in compensatory and punitive damages against the hospital after a two-month trial in 2023.
The Kowlaski family sued All Children's in 2018 after the hospital reported Beata Kowalski, the mother of Maya Kowalski, a patient at the hospital, for suspected child abuse in 2016 after she requested ketamine to treat her daughter for chronic pain. The girl was removed by the state and sheltered at the hospital for three months, during which Beata Kowalski died by suicide.
A Netflix documentary titled "Take Care of Maya," released in June, covered the saga and was viewed nearly 14 million times in the first two weeks of its debut.
In court, a jury's verdict found that the hospital was guilty of inflicting emotional distress on the Kowalski family and contributing to Beata Kowalski's suicide.