In a 48-page ruling, the court outlined how evidence and testimony<\/a> presented in the civil trial did not support a Sarasota jury\u2019s verdict. All Children\u2019s attorney Ethan Shapiro of law firm Hill Ward Henderson celebrated a \u201ccareful, rigorous review of the case and law\u201d Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis opinion sends a clear and vital message to mandatory reporters in Florida and across the country that their duty to report suspicions of child abuse and, critically, their good faith participation in child protection activities remain protected,\u201d Shapiro said in a prepared statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank the judges for their time and attention to this matter, and we appreciate that they understood what many did not: That a one-sided movie is no substitute for a fair judicial process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The appellate judges ruled that All Children\u2019s actions did not contribute to the 2017 suicide of Beata Kowalski. Several doctors suspected that she had medically abused her daughter, Maya, primarily by securing and administering high doses of various medications, including the dissociative anesthetic Ketamine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In October 2016, the state ordered All Children\u2019s to shelter Maya, then 10, due to suspected child abuse. Beata, then 43, hung herself in the family\u2019s Venice garage after 87 days without her daughter.<\/p>\n Beata Kowalski (right) with her daughter Maya. Screengrab.<\/p>\n Florida statutes grant mandatory child abuse reporters immunity from \u201cany civil or criminal liability\u201d if they act in good faith, even if those suspicions prove unfounded. The appellate judges said the lower court did not fully provide those protections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Their ruling cited an amicus brief filed by the Florida Hospital Association for further explanation. It notes that the trial court found that All Children\u2019s had a reasonable basis for suspecting child abuse and was not liable for sheltering Maya as ordered.<\/p>\n However, those findings were \u201crendered meaningless\u201d when a civil judge allowed the prosecution to attack the hospital\u2019s \u201cbasis for suspecting abuse, its motives for reporting that suspicion and present evidence to the jury of the psychological impact of the court-ordered sheltering period.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNothing in the record suggests that (the hospital\u2019s) participation in implementing the dependency court orders, as it was required to do, was not done in good faith,\u201d the ruling added.\u00a0<\/p>\n The appellate court also disagreed with Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll\u2019s refusal to offer All Children\u2019s a new trial. A court in the Kowalski\u2019s home county decided the lawsuit after the release of Take Care of Maya; the film tallied nearly 14 million streams in the first two weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Carroll\u2019s denial was an \u201cabuse of discretion,\u201d and an appellate court \u201cshould consider the totality of all errors and improprieties,\u201d states the ruling. The judges also disputed his decision to let a jury decide the entire lawsuit rather than provide direct verdicts on some counts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the appellate court\u2019s ruling does not completely absolve All Children\u2019s. The Kowalskis can seek a retrial to determine whether the hospital<\/a> intentionally inflicted emotional distress, falsely imprisoned, battered and was medically negligent in its treatment of Maya.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tampa-based Hill Ward Henderson wrote that those claims must undergo a thorough examination of Chapter 39 immunity. In addition, the Kowalkis cannot pursue punitive damages, as the appellate court \u201cfound that there is insufficient evidence to do so on any of the remaining claims.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe facts and the law have always prioritized protecting children, the most vulnerable among us,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cWe look forward to vigorously defending our doctors, nurses and staff in a fair trial on the few remaining claims after rigorous and proper application of immunity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Johns Hopkins All Children\u2019s Hospital\u2019s downtown St. Petersburg campus. Photo by Mark Parker.<\/p>\n The court also published a concurrent opinion from Judge Andrea Teves Smith, who admonished social worker Catherine Bedy. Smith noted that Bedy told Maya she could replace her mentally ill mother.<\/p>\n Smith also chastised \u201cthe berating by the nurses that Maya was faking her symptoms.\u201d A specialist had diagnosed the girl with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS); symptoms include spontaneous and debilitating pain, muscle wasting and impaired movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith wrote that Maya went to All Children\u2019s for treatment, \u201conly to be broken down, mentally abused and berated by Ms. Bedy and the hospital nurses who were in a position to facilitate her care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBased upon Maya\u2019s mental and physical condition, Ms. Bedy and the nurses acted in deliberate disregard for the high degree of probability that emotional distress would follow,\u201d Smith continued. \u201cIt is hard to imagine a civilized community that accepts the actions of Ms. Bedy, a licensed social worker, and the nurses as \u2018good faith\u2019 participation in the requirements of Chapter 39.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Kowalskis fought for five years to bring their case to trial. A jury sided with the family on every count and awarded $261 million in damages, which Carroll later reduced<\/a> by $50 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n An attorney for the Kowalskis could not immediately be reached for comment. All Children\u2019s deferred to its legal team.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maya-Kowlaski-13-e93c19a5c6254812b2b1b38749642f2d-1024x683.jpg\")
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