Overview
- Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal issued a 47–48 page opinion on Wednesday reversing the 2023 verdict and vacating the $208 million judgment against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
- The panel said Chapter 39 immunity protects good-faith reporting and participation in child-protection proceedings and found insufficient evidence to submit punitive damages to the jury.
- Only claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, battery, and medical negligence may be retried after proper application of immunity, with other counts curtailed or foreclosed.
- The court faulted Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll for denying a new trial or directed verdict and noted the hospital had legal authority to detain Maya initially while dependency orders were in effect.
- The case drew national attention after Netflix’s “Take Care of Maya,” and the decision arrives as Florida lawmakers refile proposals to guarantee independent medical exams in suspected abuse disputes, while the hospital’s attorney praised protections for mandatory reporters.