JOHNS Hopkins All Children's Hospital was accused of false imprisonment and battery in a civil case.
The case was filed by the family of a woman who took her own life after being accused of child abuse.
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Who was Beata Kowalski?
Beata Kowalski was a trained registered nurse in Florida.
In 2016, she was accused of abusing her daughter, Maya Kowalski, due to Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP), which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a mental illness that causes someone to lie about an illness in another person.
The allegations led to the removal of Maya and launched an investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Beata was not able to see her daughter as a result of the investigation, and her family claims that the decision pushed her to take her own life.
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What happened to Maya Kowalski?
In 2016, Beata took her 10-year-old daughter to All Children’s Hospital for a ketamine booster, which she claimed would help treat her daughter's Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare condition that "causes spontaneous and often excessive pain from something as mild as a touch," according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Doctors were skeptical of this diagnosis and were immediately concerned that Beata was abusing her daughter.
Their concerns prompted them to report her to Florida's abuse hotline.
As a result, Maya was removed from Beata's custody, pending the result of an investigation.
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"Our first responsibility is always to the child brought to us for care," a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital wrote in a statement emailed to FOX 13.
"It is DCF and a judge – not Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – that investigates the situation and makes the ultimate decision about what course of action is in the best interest of the child."
A judge ordered that Maya must remain at the hospital, but her mother was not allowed to visit.
After going 87 days without physical contact, Beata then took her own life.
"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 wrote in an email that was discovered after her death, according to People.
In 2018, the Kowalski family filed a $200 million lawsuit against the hospital, claiming that their actions pushed Beata to commit suicide.
On November 9, 2023, a jury found the hospital liable and awarded her family millions.
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Where is Maya Kowalski now?
Five days after Maya's mother took her own life, she was released into the custody of her father, Jack Kowalski.
She now resides in Florida with her father and brother.
Since being released, Maya has shared her story countless times, and it was even the subject of a 2023 Netflix documentary, Take Care of Maya.
"One day I was in the ICU, and my mom kissed me on the forehead and was like, ‘I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ I never saw her again," Maya recalled during an interview with People prior to the documentary's release.
“I was medically kidnapped. I tried being hopeful, but there was a point where I thought, ‘I’m never getting out of this place.’”
According to People, Maya now has full use of her arms and legs, but she still experiences pain as a result of her CRPS.
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"I do my best to push through," she said.
“I’ve already missed a lot, so I want to make the most of life now.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988 or chat on 988lifeline.org. You can also text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line.
