The first detransitioner medical malpractice case that has gone to trial has resulted in a $2 million verdict against those who cut off the breasts of a 16-year-old girl who, at the time, identified as transgender but no longer does.
Fox Varian, now 22, has been awarded $2 million in damages, with $1.6 million for past and future suffering as well as $400,000 for medical expenses going forward, according to the Epoch Times. Jurors in the case found that the so-called medical professionals in the case fast-tracked Varian on the track of gender surgery without the necessary evaluation. This included a surgeon as well as a psychologist who facilitated the removal of Varian's breasts at the age of 16.
The jury found that in many respects, the missteps from the surgeon and psychologists were a "departure from the standard of care" that was supposed to be given. Varian's attorney Adam Deutsch had asked for $8 million in damages during closing statements.
The attorney for Varian quoted the detransitioner's experience after first looking at her chest after surgery, “I immediately had a thought that this was wrong, and it couldn’t be true." Varian had also said that she experienced “searing hot ... ripping sensations across my chest.”
“Shame. I felt shame,” she added. “It’s hard to face that you are disfigured for life.” Following the verdict, Varian cried and hugged her mother as well as her attorney. The decision for Varian to pursue the case came after she regretted the 2019 surgery and then sued psychologist Kenneth Einhorn as well as surgeon Simon Chin and their employers.
During the course of the case, the jury was not asked if sex-change surgeries are appropriate for minors, but the question surrounded whether the "doctors" took the necessary steps to evaluate Varian before the surgery was performed.