(Scypre.com) – In Australia, a man named Anil Koppula took legal action against a hospital, alleging that hospital staff pressured him into witnessing his wife’s cesarean section, resulting in the development of a severe mental condition.
The lawsuit, which sought 1 billion Australian dollars (approximately $643 million USD) in damages, was presented in the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne. Koppula’s wife had a successful C-section at the Royal Women’s Hospital in 2018. However, years later, he claimed that the hospital and its staff failed in their duty of care by encouraging and allowing him to witness the childbirth.
Cesarean sections, a common medical procedure involving incisions on a woman’s abdomen and uterus to deliver a baby, are utilized when deemed safer for both the mother and the baby compared to a vaginal birth. Around 32% of births in the U.S. in 2021 were cesarean deliveries, as reported by the CDC.
Koppula recounted viewing his wife’s blood and organs during the procedure, which he asserted led to the onset of a “psychotic illness” and the subsequent breakdown of his marriage.
The Royal Women’s Hospital refuted the allegations of breaching the duty of care during the procedure.
Representing himself in the case, Koppula faced dismissal by Justice James Gorton, who deemed it an “abuse of process.” As part of the legal proceedings, Koppula underwent a medical examination which concluded that the alleged psychiatric impairment did not meet the required threshold for damages, as reported by 7News.
Despite his disagreement with the medical panel’s determination, Koppula chose not to challenge the findings through formal paperwork. Consequently, the judge explained that, according to the panel’s decision, Koppula was legally unable to seek damages for non-economic loss.