A Man Files $643 Million Lawsuit Against Hospital Over Alleged Coercion to Witness Wife’s C-section

In Australia, a man attempted to file a A$1 billion lawsuit against a Melbourne hospital, claiming that he was pushed to witness his wife undergo a cesarean section. He contended that witnessing the surgery, including the sight of his wife’s blood and organs, caused him to suffer from a “psychotic illness.”

A man in Australia, Anil Koppula, accused Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital of causing him to develop a “psychotic illness” after he witnessed his wife undergo a cesarean section in 2018. Koppula filed a lawsuit against the hospital, seeking A$1 billion (approximately $643 million), as reported by local news outlet 7News.

While the cesarean procedure was successful, Koppula alleged that the hospital had neglected its duty of care by allowing him to witness the operation. He claimed that the hospital either “encouraged” or “permitted” him to observe the surgery, and that witnessing his wife’s organs and blood had triggered the mental illness he asserted he suffered from.

A cesarean section, as described by the National Health Service, is a common surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered “through a cut made in your tummy and womb.”

Surgical procedures are often performed when alternative options pose significant risks to the health of either the mother or the baby. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cesarean sections accounted for 32.1% of all baby deliveries in the US in 2021.

Several years after undergoing surgery, Koppula filed a lawsuit, claiming damages due to a life-altering psychological injury he allegedly suffered.

In his legal complaint, he asserted that this “psychotic illness” resulted in the “breakdown of his marriage,” as reported by 7News.

Koppula opted to represent himself in court, but Justice James Gorton dismissed the lawsuit, deeming the claim an “abuse of process,” according to Global News.

During the trial, Koppula underwent a medical examination, which led the panel to conclude that the alleged psychological impact on him was insufficient.

According to 7News, it was determined that “the claimant’s alleged injury does not meet the required threshold for psychiatric impairment.”