US doctor who posted videos of decapitated baby must pay parents US$2 million
Jackson Gates was hired to do an autopsy after the child died during a difficult delivery and published the footage without permission
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.
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 on 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.”
Lawyers for Ross and Taylor said they were pleased the jury punished Gates for his “reprehensible” behaviour, though nothing could ease the couple’s pain over their son’s “horrific” death.