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Maya Kowalski files complaint that she was 'sexually abused’ at hospital after winning $261 million malpractice case

Maya Kowalski files complaint that she was 'sexually abused’ at hospital after winning $261 million malpractice case

She was awarded $261 million in damages

Maya Kowalski has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was sexually abused while staying in hospital.

In the complaint, she alleges that she was 'sexually abused at Johns Hopkins All Children's hospital' in Florida between 8 October and 13 October 2016.

The complaint comes after Ms Kowalski and her family won some $261 million in damages in a civil case brought against the facility, which found that she had been falsely imprisoned.

This had also been a factor in the suicide of her mother Beata Kowalski after he was banned from visiting.

Now Greg Anderson, an attorney working with the family, has told MailOnline she has filed a criminal complaint against the hospital.

Ms Kowalski came into the public eye as a result of the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya, which follows the story of her and her family.

In a statement, Anderson said: "Maya Kowalski filed criminal charges this morning with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department involving an assault and battery at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in the period of approximately October 8 - 13 of 2016.

"It's unclear who the assailant was although my client was able to identify him with great specificity in terms of height, weight, hair color, clothing - he did have a lab coat on, he did have a stethoscope around his shoulders.

Maya's family was awarded $261 million in damages.
Netflix

"Although we can't make a positive ID on whether it was an employee or someone who gained access to the intensive care unit and entry into her room, we are alleging in the alternative a physician or a person appearing to be a physician whether that be another level of employee or somebody who shouldn't have been there intruded."

He went on to describe how a male had entered the room where Ms Kowalski was unaccompanied and had allegedly 'sexually assaulted' her.

Anderson continued: "Maya suppressed this until about four weeks ago, [but] she did put in some notes to both the psychiatrist there at the time Dr. Katzenstein and later to Dr. Henschke, the two female psychiatrists that she saw along the way."

Following eight weeks of court hearings, Ms Kowalski and her family were awarded $261 million in damages as a result of being falsely imprisoned at the hospital, as well as from allegations of battery, fraudulent billing, emotional distress, and a wrongful death claim.

The family was featured in the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya.
Netflix

Attorney for the hospital Howard Hunter confirmed in a statement that the hospital intends to appeal the damages.

He said: "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 damages will not be finalised until the appeals process is complete, and it is unclear exactly how long that will take.

A spokesperson for John Hopkins All Children's Hospital told UNILAD: "These allegations originally arose during trial and were not admitted into the case. As soon as the hospital became aware of the allegations, and in accordance with their policies, they immediately initiated an internal investigation and contacted law enforcement last month.

"Federal privacy laws restrict Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital from sharing more, but the hospital takes allegations of this nature very seriously and always puts the safety of their patients above all else.”

UNILAD has reached out to Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Court TV

Topics: News, Crime, US News, Netflix