Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., intends to submit post-trial motions challenging the $261 million judgment imposed by a Florida jury for a lawsuit made famous by a Netflix documentary.
If deemed necessary following the motion, the hospital said it will pursue an appeal of the judgment, encompassing both compensatory and punitive assessments, according to a Nov. 14 quarterly report from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins.
Johns Hopkins All Children's said in the quarterly report that the treatment given to Maya Kowalski, whose family filed the lawsuit in the case, was suitable and adhered to the standard of care typically applied in patient treatment.
The news of the post-trial motion comes after Maya Kowalski and her family won the case.
The jury concluded on Nov. 9 that the suicide of Maya's mother, Beata Kowalski, was a result of intentionally inflicted distress, constituting a wrongful death for which the hospital is held accountable. Additionally, the jury determined that Maya Kowalski had experienced false imprisonment, battery and medical neglect while her father, Jack Kowalski, had been subjected to fraudulent billing.
Shortly after their win in the case, an attorney representing the Kowalskis revealed the imminent filing of criminal charges. These charges allege sexual assault against Maya during her inpatient stay at the hospital.
The story of Maya Kowalski gained national recognition through the Netflix documentary "Take Care of Maya." The documentary, released in June, detailed Maya Kowalski being held at the hospital for 87 days when she was 10 years old without any contact with her mother while the hospital initiated a child abuse investigation after the family sought treatment, including pain medications and ketamine, for her complex regional pain syndrome. The family filed suit against All Children's in 2018.