Hospital ordered to pay family $261 million after taking child from mother who later committed suicide

A Florida jury last week awarded a Polish Catholic family over $250 million in damages after finding that a major children’s hospital falsely imprisoned their 10-year-old daughter and caused them intense emotional distress, culminating in the mother’s suicide.

The jury’s decision is the latest development in a heart-wrenching case that has drawn international attention and sparked renewed emphasis on securing parental rights.

The Sarasota jury on Thursday decided in favor of the family of Maya Kowalski against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH), granting them over $250 million in damages. The decision came after Kowalski alleged in a civil suit that the hospital bore responsibility for her mother’s suicide in 2017 when staff took custody of her, refused to let her family take her home, neglected her, and a social worker even forced her to be photographed while she was unclothed without gaining permission from her parents.

The case became the subject of a widely viewed Netflix documentary called “Take Care of Maya” that was released in June and immediately racked up millions of views.

Maya, now 17, reportedly cried and held onto her mother’s rosary during the reading of the verdict in court on Thursday.