US doctor who posted videos of decapitated baby must pay parents US$2 million
An Atlanta doctor and his clinic must pay US$2.25 million to a couple after posting to his public social media account graphic videos of their decapitated baby during an autopsy, a jury has decided.
Advertisement
Jackson Gates and his business, Medical Diagnostic Choices, were found liable by default in the lawsuit brought against them by Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor after the couple discovered the social media posts.
Ross and Taylor said they were horrified and outraged when they learned Gates had published without their knowledge or permission images of their child, who was decapitated during a difficult delivery July 9, 2023. The couple had hired Gates to perform an autopsy.
On Wednesday, an Atlanta jury awarded the couple US$2 million in compensation and US$250,000 in damages designed to punish Gates and Medical Diagnostic Choices. The jurors found Gates did not intend to cause harm.
'They asked for US$30 million and they got just over US$2 million,' said Gates' lawyer, Ira Livnat. 'Obviously we were disappointed with the verdict, but the jurors' finding that he did not act with specific intent to cause harm was very significant.'
Advertisement
Lawyers for Ross and Taylor said they are pleased the jury punished Gates for his 'reprehensible' behaviour, though nothing can ease the couple's pain over their son's 'horrific' death.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released from US custody
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was released on Friday from US federal immigration detention, freed after 104 days by a judge's ruling after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student left a federal facility in Louisiana on Friday. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. 'Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue,' he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. 'This shouldn't have taken three months.' The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. Khalil was released after US district judge Michael Farbiarz said it would be 'highly, highly unusual' for the government to continue detaining a legal US resident who was unlikely to flee and hadn't been accused of any violence. 'Petitioner is not a flight risk, and the evidence presented is that he is not a danger to the community,' he said. 'Period, full stop.'
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US doctor who posted videos of decapitated baby must pay parents US$2 million
An Atlanta doctor and his clinic must pay US$2.25 million to a couple after posting to his public social media account graphic videos of their decapitated baby during an autopsy, a jury has decided. Advertisement Jackson Gates and his business, Medical Diagnostic Choices, were found liable by default in the lawsuit brought against them by Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor after the couple discovered the social media posts. Ross and Taylor said they were horrified and outraged when they learned Gates had published without their knowledge or permission images of their child, who was decapitated during a difficult delivery July 9, 2023. The couple had hired Gates to perform an autopsy. On Wednesday, an Atlanta jury awarded the couple US$2 million in compensation and US$250,000 in damages designed to punish Gates and Medical Diagnostic Choices. The jurors found Gates did not intend to cause harm. 'They asked for US$30 million and they got just over US$2 million,' said Gates' lawyer, Ira Livnat. 'Obviously we were disappointed with the verdict, but the jurors' finding that he did not act with specific intent to cause harm was very significant.' Advertisement Lawyers for Ross and Taylor said they are pleased the jury punished Gates for his 'reprehensible' behaviour, though nothing can ease the couple's pain over their son's 'horrific' death.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Behind Trump's deportation theatre lies an American tragedy
The streets of Los Angeles have erupted in recent days, manifesting deep-seated tensions triggered by US President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policies. Sparked by high-profile Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the city, targeting workplaces and even prompting the arrest of a prominent union leader , thousands have taken to the streets in protest. Mayor Karen Bass has condemned the actions : 'When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armoured caravans through our streets, you're not trying to keep anyone safe. You're trying to cause fear and panic.' California governor Gavin Newsom has engaged in a sharp verbal and legal clash with Trump, criticising his decision to deploy National Guard troops and the Marines to help the raids and quell the protests, denouncing it as an 'unnecessary provocation' and a 'brazen abuse of power' Trump, in turn, defended his intervention, calling Newsom 'incompetent' and claiming federal forces were necessary amid a 'rebellion' These demonstrations and the political clashes underscore a critical reality: Trump's approach to immigration has transformed US border and interior enforcement into a jarring spectacle, prioritising displays of force over effective, humane policy. This theatrical enforcement, far from instilling security, primarily generates fear and outrage, and leaves the system straining to meet unrealistic deportation targets even as America's global reputation rapidly deteriorates.
