Netflix's Maya Kowalski slams John Hopkins All Children's Hospital over bizarre attempt to secure retrial in $261M case by claiming juror compared defense witness to NAZI organization SS

A Florida Hospital is pushing for a re-trial after Maya Kowalski won her lawsuit against the establishment - claiming that a biased juror on the case compared doctor Sally Smith to a Nazi organization. 

Last month Maya Kowalski was awarded more than $200 million as she won her lawsuit against the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital which was found liable in her mom's death.

Jurors ruled in favor of the teen, whose story is the subject of Netflix documentary 'Take Care of Maya', finding that the hospital had falsely imprisoned her.  Maya, 17, was just 10, when she was removed by the state after doctors accused her parents of faking symptoms for her rare condition - complex regional pain syndrome.

The jury found the emotional distress caused to her mother Beata Kowalski - who was forbidden from seeing her daughter for three months - led to her suicide in 2017.

A month later - the Florida hospital has claimed that Juror No. 1 - Paul Lengyel - had extreme dislike of one of the defense witnesses, a hospital employee named Sally Smith - a claim that Maya has called 'absolutely disgusting'.

Three exhibits were attached to the filing of the motion for a new trial. Exhibit A is a piece of notebook paper with notes from 'Juror No. 1' in which every time Sally Smith is mentioned the letter S at the beginning of each name is written differently than any of the other S's on the page.

 'Juror No. 1 has printed letter 'S' throughout the note normally, with a curve in the spine, EXCEPT that he printed his 'S' with sharp angles when printing Dr. Sally Smith's name,' the second supplemental motion reads. 

'Both the second and third times that Juror No. 1 prints Dr. Sally Smith's name, the letter 'S' is shaped in a manner identical to the symbol of the Nazi Schutzstaffel.'

Smith investigated the Kowalski family for the possible child abuse of their daughter Maya in relation to her mysterious medical problems and troubling treatment history.

The 10-year-old was diagnosed with CRPS and had been receiving $10,000 'ketamine transfusion' every three to four weeks to help deal with the disabling pain Maya faced.

Smith had suspected that Maya was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and was convinced she was abused by her parents - and as a trusted professional known for identifying cases of child abuse, the hospital and state followed Smith guidance and removed the young girl from her family. 

Maya stayed at the hospital - barely stepping outside -  for months, spending Halloween, Christmas, New Year's and her 11th birthday inside the hospital. 

The motion filed insinuates that the juror is likening Sally Smith's attitude and behavior to that of the Nazis in the Schutzstaffel organization.

'The SS lightning bolts is a symbol often used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists,' the motion said.

'The lightning bolts were part of the uniform of Nazi SS soldiers. Often the SS lightning bolts are used to show support for hateful beliefs and ideologies.'

'Printing the first letter of Dr. Smith's first and last name in this manner makes clear Juror No. 1's bias and prejudice against Dr. Smith (and thus Defendant), equating Dr. Smith with a notorious Nazi organization,' the filing continues.

'Juror No. 1's reference to Dr. Sally Smith with the use of Nazi symbolism demonstrates a clear bias, prejudice and prejudgment against her and thus Defendant.'

Maya and her attorney Gregory Anderson are appalled by the hospital's efforts for re-trial.

'The worst allegations I can possibly imagine against this poor man who did nothing more than give nine weeks of his life to helping the community and his civic function,' Anderson said. 'Alleging the most horrific things you can imagine against him and I find it nauseating.' 

'I think it's just absolutely disgusting,' Maya added. 'I don't even know how someone could come up with such a harsh accusation like that. But I am confident in my trial team and I think we'll be successful.' 

The hospital had previously alleged that Juror No. 1 shared information about the case with his wife in an effort to win a new trial - saying that the wife then posted the confidential information in online, pro-plaintiff communities.

Lawyers representing the hospital in the case brought by the Kowalski family argue that jury foreman Paul Lengyel's wife, Yolanda, attended at least one day of the trial in Venice, meaning she could have heard attorney discussions with the judge that were made outside of the jury's presence. 

Court documents state that Yolanda Lengyel posted on live YouTube feeds of the trial and in a Facebook chat group largely supportive of the Kowalski family.

She is also accused of meeting with a social media influencer known as Jules, who, the motion states, is connected to the Kowalski family. 

It cites as evidence a video Jules posted on her TikTok page stating that she gave Maya Kowalski her rosary beads before Maya's live testimony on October 9.

Yolanda Lengyel also allegedly discussed on social media questions her husband intended to ask of witnesses and about a juror note sent while the jury was deliberating, the motion states.

'The evidence reveals a shocking level of involvement in the case and palpable bias in favor of plaintiffs on the part of Juror #1′s wife, Mrs. Lengyel, as well as social media posts sharing 'inside' information Mrs. Lengyel could only have obtained from her husband,' the motion reads.

Attorneys for the hospital also alleged that Juror No. 1 also 'may have harbored ill feelings' toward the Florida Department of Children and Families.