An Australian man has taken legal action against the hospital where he was present during his wife’s cesarean-section delivery in 2018, asserting that this experience triggered a “psychotic illness” in him.
The lawsuit, initiated several years after the successful operation, was brought by Anil Koppula, a father who alleged that witnessing the procedure contributed to the dissolution of his marriage. In his legal documents, Mr. Koppula claimed that he was either encouraged or permitted to observe the delivery, during which he witnessed his wife’s internal organs and blood.
Furthermore, Koppula contended that the hospital breached its duty of care toward him and should be held liable for damages. His lawsuit sought a staggering 1 billion Australian dollars, equivalent to over 642 million US dollars, from the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.
The Australian hospital, in response, asserted that it had not breached its duty of care and argued that Koppula did not suffer any genuine injury as a result of witnessing the cesarean section.
Representing himself in court, Koppula’s lawsuit faced a setback when Justice James Gorton, the presiding judge, sided with the hospital. The judge dismissed the suit, deeming the claim an “abuse of process.”
