'Take Care Of Maya' Patient Accuses St. Pete Hospital Of Sex Assault

Updated: 9:54 a.m., Thursday

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The patient at the center of the “Take Care Of Maya” Netflix documentary has filed a criminal complaint with the St. Petersburg Police Department against John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, according to multiple reports.

Maya Kowalski, now 17, filed the complaint, alleging she was sexually assaulted while she was at the hospital in October 2016, just one day after a jury awarded her family more than $261 million in damages.

She and her family, who live in Venice, sued the hospital, as well as the Department of Children and Families, because her mother, Beata Kowalski, committed suicide after doctors at All Children’s Hospital accused her of Munchausen-by-proxy.

In October 2016, when Maya, then 10, was experiencing excruciating pain from what the family said is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), they drove to All Children’s Hospital. Hospital staff accused Beata of dosing her daughter, then 10 years old, with medication and sedatives, including ketamine, making her illness worse, People reported. Her parents said that the ketamine was recommended by specialists.

The hospital reported their concerns to the Department of Children and Families, and Maya was separated from her family for three months. During this time, her mother took her own life, WTSP said.

In court, the hospital was found liable on all counts, including false imprisonment, battery, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on Maya and her mother, according to the Independent.

The family’s attorney, Greg Anderson, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that the recent criminal complaint against All Children’s Hospital is against an unknown perpetrator at the hospital, as the identity of the person who sexually assaulted Maya isn’t known.

“These allegations originally arose during trial and were not admitted into the case. As soon as the hospital became aware of the allegations, and in accordance with their policies, they immediately initiated an internal investigation and contacted law enforcement last month,” defense counsel Ethen Shapiro, Hill Ward Henderson, who represented the hospital in this case, said in a statement provided to Patch. “Federal privacy laws restrict Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital from sharing more, but the hospital takes allegations of this nature very seriously and always puts the safety of their patients above all else.”

St. Petersburg police wouldn’t provide a copy of the complaint to Patch or confirm the exact allegations made in the complaint.

“We can confirm that Maya Kowalski and her attorney spoke to a St. Petersburg Police officer and a complaint was documented on November 10, 2023. The nature of the complaint was filed as a ‘call for assistance,’” Yolanda Fernandez, a spokesperson for SPPD, said in a statement given to Patch. “At this time, it is considered an open case and there are no public records/information to share.”