Last month, we reported that two young Black would-be parents, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., filed a lawsuit against Dr. Tracey St. Julian and Southern Regional Medical Center alleging that St. Julian applied “ridiculously excessive force” on the baby’s head and neck during a failed attempt to deliver their son, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., which resulted in the child being decapitated.
Source: Karl Tapales / Getty
Now, the couple has filed a second lawsuit against another doctor who posted an autopsy of their son online—because, apparently, Ross and Taylor Sr. are having a difficult time finding doctors who have the least bit of compassion and good sense.
As previously reported, the original lawsuit alleges that the hospital tried to cover it all up by failing to inform the parents about what happened, staging the child’s body to look like his head was still attached, encouraging them not to investigate any further, and discouraging them from having an autopsy done.
So, they had an autopsy done.
But according to Fox 5 Atlanta, Dr. Jackson Gates, an independent pathologist the couple allegedly paid $2,400 to perform the autopsy, is accused of posting identifying videos and photos of the autopsy to his Instagram account.
“This is diabolical. There is something wrong. After all of the abuse suffered by this young couple, unfortunately, Dr. Gates continued to perpetuate it, their abuse, by posting both photos and video of their decapitated child on social media,” family attorney Rod Edmond told FOX 5.
Meanwhile, Gates implied he only posted the autopsy video for educational purposes and he appears to be denying that he posted anything that would identify the subject of the autopsy as the grieving couple’s child.
“I want you to hear this clearly, I will never divulge the identity or disclose the identity of any live patients or any deceased patients that come for my care,” Gates said in a video posted to IG.
Family attorney Cory Lynch feels differently.
“Dr. Gates consciously waived his duty to this young couple,” Lynch said. “He traded his duty to them on exchange for likes and followers on Instagram.”
It would be a shame and unfathomable disgrace if it turned out Gates’ video of this tragic and horrifically traumatizing event in order to engage in some of the most despicable and egregiously insensitive clout-chasing the internet has ever seen.
Either way, it does appear that Gates posted Treveon Jr.’s autopsy online without his parents’ consent. There’s really no excuse for that.
