A Georgia couple “had salt poured into their unfathomable emotional wounds” after they discovered that video of their baby’s autopsy was posted on social media by the pathologist they hired to conduct the examination, according to a lawsuit obtained by Newsweek.
The couple hired the doctor to perform an independent autopsy on their newborn, who they allege was decapitated by their OBGYN during delivery, while they accuse the pathologist of betraying their trust in what attorneys for the pair are calling “one of the most egregious and outrageous cases of clout chasing we have ever encountered.”
The newborn’s parents, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., filed the lawsuit on September 1 against independent pathologist Dr. Jackson Gates and Gates Rapid Diagnostic Laboratory of Atlanta, alleging invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud, according to a statement sent to Newsweek by the couple’s attorneys.
This is the second lawsuit filed by Ross and Taylor related to their baby’s death.
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The Riverdale, Georgia, couple is represented by Atlanta attorneys Roderick Edmond and Keith Lindsay of Edmond & Lindsay along with attorney Cory Lynch of The Law Office of Cory J. Lynch.
“Dr. Jackson Gates attempted to exploit our clients’ horrific loss to boost his own social media profile, without permission of the family,” the firm said in the statement.
Gates declined to comment or be interviewed in an email to Newsweek on Tuesday night.
The couple’s “horrific” ordeal began on July 10, when they were informed that their newborn son, named baby Isaiah, died during delivery, Ryan Julison, spokesperson for Edmond & Lindsay, LLP, and The Law Office of Cory Lynch, LLC, told Newsweek in an email on Tuesday.
In August, Ross and Taylor filed a lawsuit against their OBGYN, Dr. Tracey St. Julian and the Southern Regional Medical Center, where the baby was delivered, accusing St. Julian and medical staff of lying to the couple about the decapitation, refusing to let them hold the baby and failing to inform them of what occurred.
According to that lawsuit, the baby’s shoulders became stuck about 10 hours into Ross’ labor and was subsequently decapitated when St. Julian attempted for hours to pull him out.
During the delivery, medical staff “pulled on the baby’s head and neck so hard and manipulated them so hard, that the bones in the baby’s skull, head and neck were broken,” according to the lawsuit, which also alleges that Ross’ repeated requests for a C-section were denied for hours.
Clayton County police are investigating the case.
The law firm representing the couple said the family then hired Gates for answers after the funeral home discovered that their newborn was decapitated.
Ross paid Gates $2,500 to conduct a postmortem examination, according to the complaint, obtained by Newsweek. The contract did not give Gates permission to film the examination or disseminate video of said examination, Julison said in the statement.
A few days after hiring Gates, the couple were notified by a family member that the doctor had posted an image of the newborn’s decapitated head to his Instagram page, which has a following of more than 11,000 people, according to the lawsuit. He was asked to remove the photo, and did so. However, Gates then posted two clips of the “the grisly and graphic” autopsy footage a few days later, the suit alleges.
“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,” attorneys for the family said in the statement to Newsweek.
Gates has previously defended sharing graphic content on his account, saying his “purpose for being on social media is to provide education resources to all patients.”
His public Instagram account, which has more than 6,000 posts, contains photos and videos from other autopsies that he has conducted. Gates does not disclose the identity of the individuals in his posts. As of Tuesday night, the photo and videos of baby Isaiah appear to have been removed.