$2.3 million for a botched circumcision

Two doctors of a 4-year-old boy were found negligent for a circumcision gone wrong. The boy, unnamed, was awarded $2.3 million in damages by the Fulton County State Court.

The boy, when he was younger, was taken to Tenet South Fulton Medical Center in East Point, Ga. for a circumcision. Obestrician Haiba Sonyika, MD, performed the procedure. Plaintiffs said she removed too much tissue, instead of just the foreskin.

Plaintiffs also said then when the mother brought it up to her pediatrician, Cheryl Kendall, MD, the doctor dismissed the complaint. If the boy was brought to the hospital in time, plaintiffs said, the removed tissue might have been able to be reattached.

The jury awarded the boy $1.8 million, a figure decided based on life expectancy. Another half-million went to the boy’s mother, to cover psychological counseling. The plaintiffs reportedly asked for $5 million in damages.

The hospital was not found negligent. Both doctors are appealing the results of the two-week trial.