Doctor Found Liable for Posting Autopsy Photos of Decapitated Baby on Social Media
The baby's parents Jessica Ross and Trevon Isaiah Taylor, Sr. filed a civil lawsuit against Dr. Jackson Gates in September 2023
A Georgia doctor has been found liable in a civil lawsuit filed by a couple accusing him of posting pictures of their decapitated newborn to Instagram.
According to documents viewed by PEOPLE as well as reports by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and Fox 5 Atlanta, Dr. Jackson Gates and his business Medical Diagnostic Choices (MDC) have been found liable for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and fraud in the civil lawsuit filed by Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Sr.
As PEOPLE previously reported, the couple filed the civil suit in September 2023 after they claimed Dr. Gates intentionally posted images of their deceased infant to Instagram without permission. He was hired to perform an autopsy on the child, who died while Ross was in delivery.
Per the court documents, Dr. Gates and MDC failed to file answers to Ross and Taylor's complaint and must pay damages.
"They are happy with that result, however, there’s still no true joy or celebration with this outcome,” the couple's attorney told the AJC. “They were taken advantage of, not only by the hospital, but also violated again by Dr. Gates, and it’s been tough for them.”
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Gates didn't reply to the news outlet's request for comment, and his Instagram account is now private.
As PEOPLE also reported, 20-year-old Ross also filed a separate lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center in Clayton County, Georgia, where she gave birth in July 2023.
In that lawsuit, Ross alleged that the staff's negligence during her child's delivery led to her baby being decapitated.
Related: Baby Who Was Decapitated During Delivery's Death Ruled a Homicide by Medical Examiner
Those documents stated that the baby's shoulders didn't descend "due to shoulder dystocia,” which happens when a baby's shoulders or shoulder get stuck during vaginal delivery, per Cleveland Clinic.
Per CNN, the first lawsuit alleges that a physician "negligently applied excessive traction” on the baby’s head and the hospital “failed to do a Cesarean section in a timely and proper manner."
The documents said that this allegedly led to "Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr.’s decapitation and death.” In January, the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office medical examiner ruled the baby's death a homicide.
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Read the original article on People.