{"id":2031438,"date":"2023-09-14T06:17:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T10:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/medical-kidnapping-trial-starts-in-florida-case-featured-on-netflixs-take-care-of-maya\/"},"modified":"2023-09-14T06:26:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T10:26:03","slug":"medical-kidnapping-trial-starts-in-florida-case-featured-on-netflixs-take-care-of-maya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/medical-kidnapping-trial-starts-in-florida-case-featured-on-netflixs-take-care-of-maya\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida medical kidnapping trial begins; Netflix&#8217;s &#8216;Take Care of Maya&#8217; case in spotlight."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmedical-kidnapping-trial-starts-in-florida-case-featured-on-netflixs-take-care-of-maya%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2031438&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Get ready for a gripping\u2063 legal battle in Florida as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/medical-kidnapping-trial-starts-in-florida-case-featured-on-netflixs-take-care-of-maya\/\" title=\"Florida medical kidnapping trial begins; Netflix's 'Take Care of Maya' case in spotlight.\">civil case involving medical\u2063 kidnapping takes center stage<\/a>. This case, which gained widespread attention on Netflix, revolves around parents who lost custody of \u2064their 10-year-old daughter after\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woman-who-used-gorilla-glue-as-hair-spray-considers-suing-company-raises-thousands-in-gofundme-report\/\" title=\"Woman Who Used \u2018Gorilla Glue\u2019 As Hair Spray Considers Suing Company, Raises Thousands in GoFundMe: Report\">seeking medical treatment<\/a> for her severe pain at a Florida children&#8217;s hospital.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2063 the Netflix documentary &#8220;Take Care\u200c of Maya,&#8221; the story of Maya Kowalski and\u2063 her parents, Jack\u200c and Beata Kowalski, unfolds as\u2062 they navigate Maya&#8217;s rare illness, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).<\/p>\n<p>The heartbreaking story concludes with the tragic suicide of Mrs. Kowalski in January 2017, following the state&#8217;s decision to take custody of Maya and accusing the mother of Munchausen \u2062by Proxy, a rare\u200b mental disorder where caregivers fabricate \u2064illnesses in those under their care for attention.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related \u200cStories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/baby-kidnapped-by-authorities-over-missed-medical-appointment-4435178\">Baby &#8216;Kidnapped&#8217; by\u200b Authorities Over Missed\u2063 Medical Appointment, Attorney Says<\/a> (5\/2\/2022)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/in-depth-experts-say-lucy-letbys-crimes-have-hallmarks-of-munchausen-by-proxy-5232764\">IN DEPTH: Experts Say Lucy Letby&#8217;s \u200dCrimes Have Hallmarks of Munchausen by Proxy<\/a> (8\/18\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The\u2063 Kowalski case sheds \u200dlight \u200con a nightmarish situation where parental rights are at stake, a situation that is becoming increasingly common as doctors specialize in child abuse pediatrics.<\/p>\n<p>According to experts, when children with\u2063 unusual or rare medical conditions seek emergency or hospital care,\u2062 their cases may be\u200d reviewed by these specialists, leading to\u200c devastating consequences.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As parents, we did everything we could for our children,&#8221;\u200c Mr. Kowalski expressed in\u200d the Netflix documentary. &#8220;But nothing could have prepared me for\u2062 what I went through.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Following Mrs. Kowalski&#8217;s tragic \u200ddeath, the Kowalskis filed a lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children&#8217;s Hospital, hospital social worker Catherine Bedy,\u200b and reached a \u200dsettlement\u2064 with Suncoast \u200cCenter and its employee Dr. Sally Smith.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2064 lawsuit alleges that the\u200c hospital &#8220;imprisoned&#8221; their\u2062 daughter and violated their constitutional rights as parents \u2064to make medical \u200cdecisions for their child, a claim\u2064 that Johns\u2063 Hopkins denies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Every Parent&#8217;s Nightmare<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. \u2062Eli Newberger, founder of the\u2062 Child Protection Program at Boston Children&#8217;s\u2062 Hospital, is an expert in identifying Munchausen \u2064by\u200d Proxy. Having been \u2064involved in \u200cover 200 \u200ccases, he began consulting on the misdiagnosis of child abuse after 1999.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Dr. Newberger \u200dinformed \u200dThe Epoch Times that the number \u2063of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marjorie-taylor-greene-slams-video-of-drag-marchers-appearing-to-chant-they-are-coming-for-your-kids\/\" title=\"Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes video of drag marchers allegedly chanting about targeting children.\">medical child abuse<\/a> cases has significantly increased\u200d as more doctors specialize in child \u200dabuse pediatrics.<\/p>\n<p>He believes\u200b that the diagnosis of medical\u200b child abuse is flawed because cases are necessary to secure funding for\u2064 these\u2063 specialized programs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Beata \u2062Kowalski, (L) enjoys an outing with and her \u2062children, Kyle (C) and Maya (L). (Courtesy of attorney Nick Whitney)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Dr. Newberger also pointed \u200cout that doctors specializing in pediatric child abuse\u200b often receive salaries from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grassroots-parents-group-became-a-political-force-in-2022-to-oust-status-quo-school-boards\/\" title=\"Grassroots Parents Group Becomes a Political Power in 2022 To Overthrow Status Quo Schools Boards\">child protection agencies<\/a>\u200d or prosecutors. He opposed the establishment of this specialty due to \u200binsufficient scientific support.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasized that \u2062child protection agencies tend to accept doctor recommendations without independent review,\u2064 and\u200c the\u2062 focus of the \u2063specialty makes it more likely for a diagnosis of medical child abuse or \u200can accusation \u2063of Munchausen by Proxy.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Newberger receives weekly calls from people \u200dseeking help, but his\u200c consultation schedule is backlogged until 2024. He only assists with cases that meet his standards and asserts that\u200c he is not a biased defense witness.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These cases still keep me up at night,&#8221; he shared. &#8220;I \u200cmean, you read about it, you see that movie, and it&#8217;s \u2062very, very disturbing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Trapped in the System<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Newberger warned that \u2063parents need\u2062 to understand that they may \u2063not be able to leave a hospital with their child if they disagree with the doctors&#8217; decisions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>He referred to research conducted by Maxine Eichner, \u200ca legal expert \u2064in\u2062 medical child abuse at \u2062the University of North Carolina\u2062 School of Law.<\/p>\n<p>Eichner&#8217;s research paper titled &#8220;Bad \u200bMedicine: Parents, the State, and the Charge of \u200c&#8217;Medical Child Abuse'&#8221; explores the rise in allegations of\u200b medical child \u200babuse against parents who seek medical help for their children, which doctors deem unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The fact that this treatment has\u2064 been ordered by other doctors does not protect parents from these accusations,&#8221; the paper\u200d stated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Maya Kowalski received ketamine treatments\u2062 after being\u2062 diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. (Courtesy of \u200battorney \u200cNick Whitney)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The release of &#8220;Take Care\u200c of Maya&#8221; has resulted in numerous complaints from parents who claim they were wrongly accused of medical child abuse, according to attorney Nick Whitney.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve had to set\u200d up a separate intake\u2063 system to catalog those cases.\u200c But we don&#8217;t have the \u2064manpower to handle all\u200d of the\u2062 situations that\u2064 we&#8217;ve heard about,&#8221; Mr. Whitney explained.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Medical Kidnapping<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Whitney highlighted that hospitals can use the legal system to keep\u2064 a child in their care, which he considers a form of medical kidnapping.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to Mr. Whitney,\u2063 Dr. Smith,\u200c the state investigator at \u2063Johns Hopkins, had\u2063 conversations with Maya Kowalski&#8217;s specialists who\u200b confirmed her CRPS diagnosis and stated\u200c that the case \u2064did not involve child abuse. However, Dr. Smith\u200d allegedly withheld this \u2064information\u2062 and did not bring it to the court&#8217;s \u200battention during\u200d the custody proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Johns Hopkins \u2062responded to The \u200cEpoch\u200b Times, stating that privacy laws \u200blimit their ability to comment but emphasizing their commitment to the safety and privacy of their\u200d patients. They explained that their staff is required by law\u2064 to report suspected \u2062abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and it is the DCF and a judge who investigate the situation and make decisions in the child&#8217;s best \u2063interest.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Lab workers are\u2064 seen in the Ludwig\u2063 Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics,\u2063 at Johns \u200dHopkins Hospital, on June 21, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (IVAN COURONNE\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Dr.\u200c Newberger, familiar with the Kowalski case, noted that although \u200bJohns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore \u2063has a\u2062 CRPS expert on staff, they failed to integrate their clinical services with the hospital in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n<p>In complex cases, general \u200bpediatricians often rely on experts\u200d in pediatric child abuse to handle the issues,\u2063 according to Dr. Newberger.<\/p>\n<p>Eichner&#8217;s research indicated that child protection officials generally\u200c support doctors who accuse parents of wrongdoing. In some cases, parents even \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/belarusian-authorities-raid-homes-and-offices-of-journalists-and-activists\/\" title=\"Belarusian Authorities Raid Homes And Offices Of Journalists And Activists\">face criminal charges<\/a> for perceived &#8220;overtreatment,&#8221; and judges tend to treat such charges as credible \u2064claims of child abuse.<\/p>\n<p>According \u2062to Eichner&#8217;s \u200dpaper, the diagnostic net for medical child abuse captures &#8220;many loving parents making the best \u2062decisions they can for\u2064 their genuinely sick children.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>The \u2062Kowalski Case<\/h2>\n<p>The Kowalski family&#8217;s ordeal began\u2064 when their 9-year-old daughter, Maya, \u2063was admitted\u200c to Johns\u2064 Hopkins in July 2015 for an asthma attack. During her hospital stay, she \u200bstarted\u200d experiencing severe pain and weakness, leading to a diagnosis of CRPS in \u200dthe fall of 2015.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>CRPS, a poorly understood chronic neurological condition, causes widespread pain and \u200dinflammation due to\u200c nerve fiber\u2063 damage \u2063or dysfunction, \u2062as explained by the National Institute of \u200cNeurological Disorders and Stroke.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>The Kowalski \u2063family&#8217;s case alleging medical kidnapping was featured in a Netflix documentary \u200cin June, \u20642023. (Courtesy of attorney Nick Whitney)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Upon the advice of CRPS specialists, the Kowalskis \u2064took Maya\u2064 to Mexico for\u200d specialized Ketamine infusion therapy. She\u200d continued to receive Ketamine infusions afterward.<\/p>\n<p>In October 2016, \u200cMaya was admitted to the ER at\u200c Johns Hopkins with a \u200dsevere stomachache after \u2063her\u200b neurologist, Dr. Ashraf Hanna, advised her father to take her to \u2064the hospital. However, according to the lawsuit, the \u200chospital\u2064 wanted Maya to undergo treatments that \u200dher parents considered unnecessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida&#8217;s civil case on medical kidnapping gains attention as jury selection commences. The case, featured on Netflix&#8217;s &#8220;Take Care of Maya,&#8221; follows parents who lost custody of their 10-year-old daughter after seeking treatment for her severe pain at a Florida children&#8217;s hospital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":904,"featured_media":2031439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2031438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2031439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}