in 2001, Long Island surgeon Richard Batista donated a kidney to his wife Dawnell after she suffered two failed transplants. Just a few years later, when the couple's marriage broke down and Dawnell filed for divorce, Batista stunned the court by demanding either the return of the kidney or $1.5 million in compensation.‼️💰
The request was denied, as the court ruled that once an organ is transplanted it is legally a gift and belongs fully to the recipient. Medical ethicists also emphasized that it is illegal to exchange organs for anything of value, making his claim both unlawful and medically impossible.
The case has since become a widely cited example of the bizarre and ethically fraught disputes that can arise in divorce proceedings.
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