'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABdAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAICAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQAEQUGByEiAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEQEBAAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgARAxJBgf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AyH06lB2vyFepWoYI1TjLqbSPYLVFGpNMT9tkrY6esViVIuRtLGjsEUnZCg+hjGPJEwPU1qk+GCtEr6bz/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Peacock's upcoming docuseries, The Battle for Justina Pelletier, is all set to showcase the complex case of Justina Pelletier, a then 14-year-old patient who was forcefully taken into custody by Boston Children's Hospital as it accused the parents of fabricating their child's symptoms.
This led to a long-drawn legal battle that ended with the court declaring the hospital not guilty of medical negligence in 2020.
When Pelletiers took then 14-year-old Justina to the Boston Children's Hospital in 2013 for dehydration and stomach pains, the hospital deduced that the child had no ailments apart from a psychological one. This kickstarted the case, which will soon be the subject of Peacock's upcoming docuseries.
Ahead of its premiere on December 13, here are five chilling details about the legal case.
Five quick facts about Justina Pelletier's misdiagnosis
1) Justina was already diagnosed with mitochondrial illness two years before her entire ordeal with Boston Children's Hospital
In 2011, the Pelletiers first took their daughter for a check-up due to fatigue and digestive issues. It was then that the doctors at Tufts Medical Center in Boston diagnosed her with a rare genetic disorder.
She was also prescribed multiple medications. However, Boston Children's Hospital did not take this fact into consideration when taking her into its custody in 2013.
2) Justina was taken away from her home four days after she first went to the hospital for treatment
Justina's parents took her to The Boston Children's Hospital on February 10, 2013. Just four days after this, several hospital staff raided her home with the help of relevant authorities and took her away.
This came rather suddenly, as Mrs. Pelletier described later in court. She recalled the incident of uniformed men marching into her house and taking her daughter away, stating:
"All of a sudden, I just didn’t see her. She wasn’t there,"
3) Justina Pelletier claimed that the staff was cruel to her in the psychiatric ward
Justina later revealed that she faced a lot of hardship while in the hospital's custody. She said that her contact with her family was limited to a bare minimum and that she was not allowed to speak of her illness or progress to her mother, who was allowed an hour of visiting time every week.
She also claimed that the hospital staff was often cruel to her and even left her unattended at times, recalling:
"They didn’t believe [my pain], and they hurt me so much...I kept getting weaker."
4) After the civil lawsuit from the Pelletiers, the court eventually ruled in favor of the hospital
In 2020, the court finally gave its verdict, finding the Boston Children's Hospital 'not guilty' of medical negligence.
The hospital gave out an accompanying statement, saying:
"The jury's decision affirms what Boston Children's Hospital has always believed: that our clinicians provided Justina Pelletier high quality, compassionate care, and always acted in the best interest of her health and well-being."
5) Justina Pelletier is currently doing better than ever
Now aged 23, Justina has been much better lately. She is still in clinical care and receiving regular therapies, but her condition has reportedly improved over the years.
She also recently revealed that she has improved in arts and other extracurricular activities through medical and psychological treatments.
Peacock's The Battle for Justina Pelletier will cover this subject in detail.
