After watching his wife’s c-section, a man tried to sue a Melbourne, Australia hospital for $1 billion. His claim is that the process gave him a “psychotic illness.” Really? Is THIS a reason to sue after childbirth?
Let’s start from the beginning:
On January 20, 2018, Anil Koppula’s wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy via cesarean section at their local hospital. Koppula said that he was “encouraged” or “allowed” to watch the birth. He did this during the birth and saw his wife’s innards and blood, which he says caused him to become psychotic.
Years after the baby was born, he filed a claim with the Court of Victoria, saying that the hospital broke its duty of care to him and should pay him damages. Koppula, who defended himself in court, said that his psychological injury cost him $1 billion in damages.
The Royal Women’s Hospital agreed that it had a duty of care to him, but was denied by the man. They also denied that he had been hurt in any way.
The courts decision:
In a decision he made on Monday, Justice James Gorton said the claim was a “abuse of process” and tossed it. Koppula told the court that his illness was the cause of the “breakup of his marriage.” According to the ruling, a person can’t get money for non-economic losses unless they suffered a “significant injury.”
Koppula was given a medical exam, and the results showed that “the degree of psychiatric impairment resulting from the injury to the claimant alleged in the claim does not meet the threshold level.” He didn’t agree with the panel’s decision, but he didn’t ask for the decision to be looked at again to sue after childbirth.
The hospital then asked for the case to be thrown out.
Justice Gorton said, “I am therefore satisfied that the legal effect of the Medical Panel’s decision is that Mr. Koppula simply cannot, as a matter of law, recover damages for non-economic loss.”
My thoughts:
Here’s the deal… my fiancé will be giving birth to our baby girl in February 2024 via c-section. I can’t WAIT to be in the OR during the procedure! I also went to Nursing school and worked in ICU and Trauma, therefore I love this stuff!
Is this just another case of “Men can’t handle it”?
Read the whole story in depth, here.
