Take Care of Maya: $213M Verdict Overturned in 2025

Trial verdict awarded: $213 million in November 2023 · Appeals court ruling: Overturned in October 2025 · Plaintiff: Maya Kowalski and family · Defendant: Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital · Documentary release: 2023 on Netflix

The key facts table below summarizes the case’s central figures and judicial milestones.

What happened with the Take Care of Maya trial?

The original trial lasted eight weeks in 2023 and centered on whether Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital falsely imprisoned a 10-year-old Maya Kowalski, ignored her CRPS diagnosis, and caused her mother Beata’s suicide. The jury found the hospital liable on all seven counts, including fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress (FOX 13 News (local Tampa affiliate)). The initial $261 million verdict was later reduced by the judge to $213 million (FOX 13 News).

Initial verdict and damages

• The jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages for false imprisonment, battery, medical negligence, and IIED.
• Maya’s father Jack Kowalski also brought a fraudulent billing claim, which the appeals court later said lacked evidence of injury (Insurance Journal (legal trade publication)).

Appeals court reversal

On October 29, 2025, the Second District Court of Appeal issued a nearly 50-page opinion reversing the judgment (Insurance Journal (legal trade publication)). The panel found the trial judge had improperly excluded evidence of medical records and misinterpreted Florida’s immunity statutes for those who report suspected child abuse (WUSF (NPR member station)).

What this means: Only the claims for IIED (Maya), false imprisonment, battery, and medical negligence survived the reversal; all other counts were vacated (Insurance Journal (legal trade publication)). A retrial on those remaining claims is possible if the state Supreme Court declines to hear an appeal.

What is Maya Kowalski diagnosed with?

Maya was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in 2015, a central nervous system disorder that causes chronic, often severe pain in a limb (WUSF (NPR member station, citing Mayo Clinic)). Her treating physicians at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, however, questioned the diagnosis and alleged that her mother Beata suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy—a claim that became the core of the legal battle.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

• CRPS typically develops after an injury or surgery and is characterized by prolonged pain that is out of proportion to the initial injury.
• The medical community has no single diagnostic test; diagnosis is based on clinical criteria (Budapest criteria).

Dispute over diagnosis

The hospital’s child protection team suspected that Maya’s symptoms were exaggerated or induced by her mother. This led to a court order separating Maya from her family and eventually to Beata Kowalski’s suicide in 2017 (WUSF (NPR member station)). The case highlights the tension between rare-disease advocacy and mandatory child-abuse reporting laws.

The implication: This legal battle underscores how immunity for abuse reporters can override medical disagreements, leaving families with no recourse even when the suspicion is later refuted.

Did the Florida Appeals Court overturn Maya Kowalski’s $213M judgment?

Yes. In a decisive ruling on October 29, 2025, the Second District Court of Appeal reversed the entire $213 million judgment against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (WUSF (NPR member station)). The court found that the trial judge had committed reversible error by excluding the hospital’s medical records and by incorrectly instructing the jury on immunity for child-abuse reporters (Insurance Journal (legal trade publication)).

Details of the overturn

• The appellate panel held that the hospital acted in good faith when it reported suspected abuse and therefore was immune from most claims under Florida law (FOX 13 News (local Tampa affiliate)).
• The court also found that damages were excessive and that Maya’s emotional testimony may have improperly influenced the jury.

Response from both parties

Jack Kowalski, Maya’s father, has not yet announced whether he will seek review by the Florida Supreme Court. The hospital issued a statement saying it “has always acted in the best interest of Maya’s health and safety” (WUSF (NPR member station)).

The implication: Unless the Florida Supreme Court steps in, the Kowalski family walks away with nothing from the largest verdict of its kind—a stark demonstration of how immunity laws can overrule a jury’s emotional verdict.

How much money did Maya Kowalski get?

The jury originally awarded $213 million (reduced from $261 million) in November 2023. Because the judgment has been overturned on appeal, no money has been paid to the Kowalski family (Insurance Journal (legal trade publication)). Unless the decision is reversed by a higher court, they will receive nothing.

Six facts, one pattern: the initial verdict was a ceiling, but the appeals process has made it a floor that never materialized.

The table below tracks how the award changed and its current status.

The trade-off: For plaintiffs, a massive jury award is a headline—but without a final judgment, it’s just paper. The hospital’s victory on appeal resets the clock, and the Kowalskis must now decide whether to risk a retrial or walk away.

What is the summary of the Take Care of Maya documentary?

The Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya, directed by Henry Roosevelt, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023 before streaming worldwide (WUSF (NPR member station)). It chronicles Maya’s hospitalization, her mother Beata’s suicide, and the family’s subsequent legal battle against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Documentary plot

• The film presents the Kowalski family’s perspective: that the hospital wrongly separated Maya from her mother, ignored her CRPS diagnosis, and that the stress of the legal fight led to Beata’s death.
• It includes extensive footage of Maya’s medical treatment, court hearings, and interviews with the family and their attorneys.

Key figures

• Maya Kowalski – the subject of the case, diagnosed with CRPS.
• Beata Kowalski – Maya’s mother, who died by suicide in 2017.
• Jack Kowalski – Maya’s father, who filed the lawsuit.
• Henry Roosevelt – director of the documentary.

Why this matters: The documentary created enormous public sympathy for the Kowalski family, which may have influenced the original jury verdict. The appeals court’s reversal now forces viewers to separate the emotional narrative from the legal reality of immunity statutes.

The pattern: Documentaries can shape public opinion and juries, but appellate courts ultimately ground decisions in legal standards, not storytelling.

Timeline of key events

What this shows: The legal timeline moved slowly for years, then accelerated sharply with the appeals court ruling, upending the family’s monetary victory.

Confirmed facts vs. what remains unclear

The distinction: Confirmed facts are backed by court documents and news reports; unclear points await further legal or medical resolution.

Perspectives from the key players

“The system failed this family at every level.”

– Henry Roosevelt, documentary director, as quoted in the film’s promotional materials

“We conclude that the trial court reversibly erred in its interpretation of the immunity statutes and in its exclusion of relevant medical records.”

– Second District Court of Appeal panel, October 29, 2025 ruling (Insurance Journal)

“We will explore all legal options to ensure that the Kowalski family’s voice is heard.”

– Attorney for the Kowalski family, responding to the overturn (WUSF)

The contrast: The director sees systemic failure; the court sees procedural error; the family’s lawyer vows to fight on—each perspective frames the same outcome differently.

The overturn of the Take Care of Maya verdict isn’t the end of the story—it’s a reset. For the Kowalski family, the path forward means either petitioning the Florida Supreme Court or preparing for a retrial on a slimmer set of claims. For hospitals across the state, the ruling reaffirms that Florida’s immunity laws for child-abuse reporters are a powerful defense, even when the reported suspicion later proves controversial. The tension between compassionate medicine and mandated reporting isn’t going away. For the medical community, the message is clear: document good faith, or risk a retrial—but the shield remains strong.

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