Doctor posted autopsy videos of couple’s decapitated newborn on Instagram, US lawsuit says

A Georgia couple’s heartbreak over the loss of their newborn who was decapitated at birth has been compounded by a “clout chasing” doctor they hired to perform the baby’s autopsy, according to their attorneys and a new lawsuit.

Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor are suing Dr Jackson Gates, an Atlanta-based doctor who they say recorded the autopsy of their baby without their permission and shared graphic videos online to his Instagram account.

The couple horrifically lost “Baby Isaiah” on July 10 when the newborn was decapitated during delivery, according to a separate lawsuit they filed in August against their obstetrician, Dr Tracey St Julian and other defendants.

St Julian is accused of applying excessive force on the baby’s head and neck during the delivery, resulting in decapitation, when his head became stuck in the vaginal canal in a complicated medical event known as shoulder dystocia, according to the complaint filed Aug 9.

After Baby Isaiah’s death, Ross paid Gates US$2,500 (RM11,710) to conduct a postmortem examination – entering into a contract which didn’t authorise Gates to film and post footage of the autopsy to Instagram, a complaint filed Sept 1 as part of the separate lawsuit against Gates says.

“After suffering one of the most heartbreaking losses any family could ever endure, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Jr had salt poured into their unfathomable emotional wounds when they discovered that video of their baby’s very graphic medical examination had been made public by the very doctor they entrusted to conduct the autopsy,” the couple’s attorneys Dr Roderick Edmond, Keith Lindsay and Cory Lynch said in a joint statement provided to McClatchy News on Sept 13.

The attorneys accuse Gates of posting autopsy videos to boost his Instagram profile, which is private as of Sept 13 and has more than 11,000 followers.

“This is one of the most egregious and outrageous cases of ‘clout chasing’ we have ever encountered,” the attorneys said in the statement.

McClatchy News contacted Gates for comment Sept 13 and didn’t receive an immediate response. He is the founder of his medical practice, Medical Diagnostic Choices in Atlanta, which is also named as a defendant in the case.

Gates took to Instagram and defended himself in a video he posted, saying anything he shared to Instagram was for educational purposes, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

“I want you to hear this clearly, I will never divulge the identity or disclose the identity of any live patients or any deceased patients that come for my care,” Gates said in the video, according to the outlet.

Couple wasn’t allowed to hold their baby

Ross went into labour at Southern Regional Medical Center in Clayton County, where her baby “did not properly descend due to shoulder dystocia,” according to the lawsuit filed over her baby’s death.

After Julian’s attempts to deliver the baby vaginally proved unsuccessful – attempts that included pushing on the baby’s head – the baby was delivered through a Cesarean section, the complaint says.

The baby’s legs and torso were delivered through the Cesarean section while the head was delivered vaginally, according to the complaint, which accuses Julian and hospital nurses of not performing the Cesarean section soon enough.

Ross and Taylor also accuse St Julian and the hospital of trying to hide the fact that their baby was decapitated, steering them away from having an autopsy performed and encouraging them to cremate the baby’s body.

The couple says they were prevented from holding their son, and instead only allowed them to view his body, which was “wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped on top of his body,” according to a statement provided to McClatchy News.

They learned their baby was decapitated three days later, on July 13, the statement said.

McClatchy News contacted Premier Women’s OB/GYN, where St Julian works, for comment Sept 13 and didn’t receive an immediate response.

In a statement provided to McClatchy News on Sept 13, Southern Regional Medical said “this unfortunate infant death occurred in utero prior to the delivery and decapitation”.

“As our deepest sympathies remain with the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations of wrongdoing in the Complaint referencing the hospital,” the statement said. “The hospital voluntarily reported the death to the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s office and is cooperating with all investigations.”

‘Unbelievable invasion’ of privacy

Ross and Taylor were outraged upon being informed Gates had posted the autopsy videos online and sent him a cease and desist letter Aug 10, according to the complaint.

The couple is suing him on causes of action including intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and fraud.

Since Gates’ Instagram page includes photos and videos of other autopsies, he “had every intention” to share the autopsy of Baby Isaiah online without seeking the couple’s permission, the complaint says.

The lawsuit seeks to recover at least US$10,000 (RM46,840) in damages.

“We intend to ensure that Dr Gates is held accountable for this unbelievable invasion of our clients’ privacy,” the couple’s attorneys said. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service