EXCLUSIVE: Family of girl, 17, whose mom committed suicide when doctors falsely accused her of Munchausen by proxy SUES Florida Children’s hospital for $220M in damages: Attorneys say they’ll need ‘medical care and therapy for the rest of their lives’

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Photo credit: Attorneys representing the family of a teen who was 'held captive' in a Florida hospital when she was 10 said the 'horrific' incident amounts to 'abduction, incarceration and abuse' of the girl

Maya Kowalski, now 17, was held captive in a Florida hospital when she was 10 years old. She was placed into state custody for three months after doctors accused her parents of faking symptoms of her debilitating complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS). (stories.usatodaynetwork.com) The family detailed the harrowing experience in a damning new Netflix documentary that was released on June 19. AndersonGlenn LLP has launched a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and a trial date has been set for September with the Kowalski family seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages. (dailymail.co.uk)

Photo credit: Gregory Anderson, who founded the firm in 1990 and focuses on corporate and commercial litigation, admiralty and personal injury law

Maya’s mother, Beata, was wrongly accused of Munchausen by proxy (MSP) – a mental illness and a form of child abuse in which the caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick. After being separated from her daughter for more than 87 days and a court order which denied her access to her child, Beata took her own life. The family’s attorneys said the ‘horrific’ incident amounts to ‘abduction, incarceration and abuse’ of the girl.

Photo credit: Maya Kowalski, now 17, was placed into state custody for three months after doctors accused her parents of faking symptoms of her debilitating complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS)

The ordeal started when Maya was nine, and she began suffering from excruciating headaches, asthma attacks, and painful lesions that formed on her arms and legs, as well as cramping and curling sensations in her feet. When doctors at a local hospital were baffled with her medical condition, Maya’s parents started doing research on their own. Maya’s mom, a registered nurse, discovered that her daughter may have the condition CPRS and after visiting a specialist, this was confirmed.

Photo credit: Maya is seen beaming during a doctor’s appointment after she was diagnosed with CPRS – medical professionals finally able to treat her

Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS, gave Maya the anesthetic drug ketamine through infusions. He then recommended a more aggressive treatment, described as a ‘ketamine coma’ – where the patient receives five days of treatment to essentially ‘reset’ the nervous system. The procedure, still experimental, had not yet been approved by the FDA, so Maya and her family traveled to Mexico in 2015 – despite knowing the risks involved.

Photo credit: After the CPRS was confirmed Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, an anesthesiologist and pharmacologist in Tampa who specializes in CRPS, gave Maya the anesthetic drug ketamine through infusions

Less than a year after the experimental treatment, Maya was rushed to the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, with excruciating stomach pain. (news-journalonline.com) Maya’s parents told the medical team treating her that she had CRPS and needed high doses of ketamine – which they believed was the only way to help alleviate their daughter’s crippling pain. Hospital staff reportedly alerted protective services who later accused Beata of child abuse due to MSP. (thecut.com)

Photo credit: AndersonGlenn LLP has launched a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and a trial date has been set for September with the Kowalski family seeking $55 million in compensatory and $165 million in punitive damages

The Kowalski family is seeking justice for the horrific ordeal they went through. Gregory Anderson, the family’s attorney, said, “The horrific events from the October 7, 2016 admission through Maya’s release on January 14, 2017, have been well-documented. These events amount to an abduction, incarceration, and abuse of a 10-year-old girl. (dailymail.co.uk) Her parents were irreparably defamed and damaged. Beata took her own life to free her daughter from ‘care’ by Johns Hopkins. The resulting litigation has been the worst I’ve seen.”

Photo credit: Child Services’ Dr Sally Smith, who has since retired, was regarded as some what of a ‘doyenne in her field’ and was formally asked to investigate Maya’s case after Beata was deemed to have ‘mental issues’

Maya’s case is not an isolated one. Since the documentary’s release on June 19, the details of other families being wrongly accused at the same hospital have also surfaced, including ‘American Idol’ finalist Syesha Mercado and father-of-two Vadim Kushner. The Kushnirs fought back spending $30,000 on attorneys and experts who argued the baby’s condition resulted from a complicated birth, not abuse. (dailymail.co.uk) The judge agreed and in the final order, even criticized the state’s doctors for not knowing their month-old son wasn’t breathing at birth.

Photo credit: Beata was also formally evaluated and diagnosed with a depressive mood and adjustment disorder upon being separated from her daughter

Maya’s story is a tragic reminder of the importance of proper medical diagnosis and treatment. The Kowalski family is hopeful that on September 11, they will finally be heard and have an opportunity for justice. Maya has CRPS and will have an exacerbated form for the rest of her life. Jack, Kyle, and Maya will continue to live with the consequences of JHACH’s actions for the rest of their lives. It is time for hospitals to be held accountable for their actions and ensure that no other family has to go through what the Kowalski family went through.