What the Case Was About
In October 2016, ten-year-old Maya Kowalski was brought to Johns Hopkins All Children Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, for treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a chronic pain condition. Hospital staff, including a doctor specializing in identifying child abuse, suspected the treatment her mother, Beata Kowalski, was pursuing, including high-dose ketamine, amounted to medical child abuse, and the hospital reported the family to Florida child welfare authorities.
A court order kept Maya at the hospital and largely barred contact with her mother for nearly three months while the investigation proceeded. During that separation, Beata Kowalski died by suicide, leaving notes describing her anguish over being kept from her daughter. The family later sued the hospital, and the case became widely known after being the subject of a 2023 Netflix documentary, Take Care of Maya.
The Jury Verdict
In November 2023, a Florida jury found Johns Hopkins All Children Hospital liable on claims including battery, false imprisonment, and wrongful death connected to Beata Kowalski suicide, awarding the family a combined 261 million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages. The presiding judge later reduced that award by 47.5 million dollars, bringing the total to 213.5 million dollars, and denied the hospital request for a new trial.
The hospital maintained throughout that its staff had a reasonable, good-faith suspicion of medical child abuse and were legally obligated to report it, arguing its actions constituted ordinary, appropriate medical care and child-protection reporting rather than wrongdoing.
The 2025 Reversal and What Comes Next
The hospital appealed, and in October 2025, a Florida appeals court reversed the verdict. The three-judge panel found the trial court had misapplied a Florida immunity law, Chapter 39, which protects mandatory reporters and good-faith participants in child-protection activities from certain civil liability. The panel also found there was insufficient evidence to support the punitive damages the jury had awarded.
The ruling vacated the 213.5 million dollar judgment but left some claims eligible for a new trial, to proceed under the correct application of the immunity law and without the punitive damages component. The Kowalski family attorney indicated they intend to continue pursuing the case, while the hospital said the ruling protects reporters obligations to report suspected child abuse. As of this update, the matter remains unresolved, with the underlying facts to be revisited by a new jury under different legal instructions.
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This summary discusses a case that involved a parent death by suicide. If this topic affects you personally, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988 in the United States.
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Kowalski Lawsuit: The "Take Care of Maya" Case, and a 2025 Reversal: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about this case and your legal options.
What was the Kowalski lawsuit about?
The family of Maya Kowalski sued Johns Hopkins All Children Hospital in Florida over her nearly three-month separation from her mother during a child-abuse investigation, during which her mother died by suicide. It became known through the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya.
How much did the jury award?
In November 2023, a jury awarded 261 million dollars in combined compensatory and punitive damages, later reduced by the trial judge to 213.5 million dollars.
Is the verdict still standing?
No. A Florida appeals court reversed the verdict in October 2025, finding the trial court had misapplied a state immunity law protecting child-abuse reporters and that punitive damages were not adequately supported by the evidence.
Will there be a new trial?
The ruling opened the door to a new trial on some remaining claims, to proceed under the correct application of the immunity law and without punitive damages. The family attorney indicated they intend to continue pursuing the case.
What is the hospital position?
The hospital has maintained throughout that its staff had a good-faith, reasonable suspicion of medical child abuse and were fulfilling their legal reporting obligations, not engaging in wrongdoing.