Photo: Mint Images RF
A Georgia couple who said their baby was decapitated during birth has been awarded over $2 million after autopsy photos of their child's corpse were shared on social media.
On Wednesday (June 18), a grand jury awarded Jessica Ross and Traveon Taylor Sr. $2,250,000 in damages, per 7 News.
The verdict came after the couple sued independent pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates and Gates Rapid Diagnostic Laboratory of Atlanta in September 2023, alleging that the doctor uploaded video of his autopsy of their child without permission. The pair claimed that footage showed the child's severed head and exposed organs after he was allegedly decapitated during birth. Their lawsuit alleged a violation of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Gates said the footage didn't reveal the identity of the child and was shared for educational purposes.
“I have not violated HIPAA, it is not required by a physician to get consent to report a crime or some sort of health issue to the public. I’ve been doing this for 15 years, publishing my autopsy cases to explain to the public the victimization of those persons who have died," Gates said in a statement.
In a statement, the couple's attorney applauded the jury's decision to side with his clients.
“While we are pleased that a jury punished Dr. Jackson Gates for his reprehensible behavior, nothing can ease the pain that the parents, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., have experienced in losing their baby boy in such a horrific way,” the attorney said. “After the decapitation of their baby, Gates poured salt into the couple’s already deep wounds when he betrayed them. This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby. Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.”
Ross and Taylor have also filed a separate lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center, alleging that doctors incorrectly delivered the baby, causing decapitation in July 2023. The Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the child's death a homicide. The hospital has maintained that the baby died in utero.
The case against the hospital remains pending.
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