‘Take Care Of Maya’: Kowalski Family Awarded $211 Million In Damages After Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital Found Liable In Death Of Beata Kowalski

A jury found John Hopkins Children’s Hospital liable for the death of Beata Kowalski, whose tragic story inspired the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya.

According to local news outlet WTSP, the hospital was found liable for the wrongful death of Beata, who died by suicide in 2017 after she was separated from her daughter, Maya, and accused of child abuse. It was also found liable for multiple other charges including medical negligence, fraudulent billing, and intentional infliction of emotional distress on Beata and Maya.

The Kowalski family was awarded $211 million and $50 million in punitive damages.

The family’s story first began in 2016, when Maya was checked into the Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital for excruciating stomach pains. She had previously been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, but hospital staff questioned the diagnosis and her symptoms. When Beata requested that they treat Maya with ketamine — a treatment she had received before with positive results — the hospital staff accused her of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and medical child abuse.

The accusations led to Maya being temporarily placed in state custody, during which she remained in the hospital for over three months, away from her family. Maya said in an interview earlier this year that she felt like she had been “medically kidnapped.”

Beata died by suicide in January 2017 after two months of Maya being separated from their family. She was 43 at the time of her death.

Beata wrote in an email that was later discovered, “I’m sorry, but I no longer can take the pain being away from Maya and being treated like a criminal. I cannot watch my daughter suffer in pain and keep getting worse.” 

Beata’s death spurred the Kowalskis to sue for $220 million, accusing John Hopkins Children’s Hospital of false imprisonment and emotional distress.

Per People, the family’s attorney, Greg Anderson, said the hospital “caused [Beata], in the end, to lose completely and utterly her ability to control her maternal instinct, and the fact outweighed the survival instinct.”

Howard Hunter, the hospital’s lead counsel, said the hospital’s staff complied with “mandatory reporting law” and they plan to appeal the verdict.

Hunter’s statement continues, “The facts and the law remain on our side, and we will continue to defend the lifesaving and compassionate care provided to Maya Kowalski by the physicians, nurses and staff of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the responsibility of all mandatory reporters in Florida to speak up if they suspect child abuse.” 

The Kowalski’s story can be seen in the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya, which is now streaming.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.