Florida Court Overturns $213 Million “Take Care of Maya” Verdict — What Really Happened?

Florida Court Overturns $213 Million “Take Care of Maya” Verdict — What Really Happened?

A Florida appeals court has overturned the $213.5 million verdict once awarded to Maya Kowalski and her family — the same case that inspired the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya.

In 2016, Maya Kowalski, then just ten years old, was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for complications related to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare and debilitating pain condition. Her mother, Beata Kowalski, a registered nurse, had been pursuing aggressive ketamine treatments to relieve her daughter’s suffering. But when hospital staff grew suspicious of the treatment plan and Beata’s behavior, they reported suspected child abuse to Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Under state law, they had no choice.

That single report changed everything. Maya was placed under state custody, separated from her mother for months. Beata, cut off from her daughter and accused of being an abuser, took her own life. Years later, a jury sided with the Kowalski family, holding the hospital liable for false imprisonment, emotional distress, and wrongful death, awarding them over $250 million — later reduced to $213.5 million.

Now, the Second District Court of Appeal has reversed that decision, citing Florida’s mandatory reporter immunity laws under Chapter 39. The court ruled that Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital acted as an agent of the state after reporting the suspected abuse and was therefore protected from liability for many of the claims. The ruling effectively vacates the entire verdict and limits any future retrial to a narrow scope: battery, medical negligence, and emotional distress claims related to Maya alone.

Supporters of the decision say it reinforces the importance of protecting mandatory reporters from retaliation. Critics argue it shields institutions from accountability and erases justice for a grieving family.

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we explore the facts, the law, and the human cost of this reversal. Did the system protect Maya — or fail her?

#TakeCareOfMaya #MayaKowalski #JohnsHopkinsAllChildrensHospital #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #CourtTV #FloridaLaw #MedicalNegligence #ChildAbuseReporting #JusticeSystem


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When the Mother Returns Alone: What Happened to Melodee Buzzard?

When the Mother Returns Alone: What Happened to Melodee Buzzard?

This isn’t just a missing-child case. It’s a mirror held up to a system that looked the other way. Melodee Buzzard’s home was reportedly in squalor. No food. No schooling. Prior CPS visits. Still, she remained. Then came the disguise — a wig, a hoodie, a rental car — and a cross-country drive that ended in silence. On Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer strip away the excuses and bureaucracy that let it happen. How does a child go unaccounted for months while everyone knew something was wrong? How does a mother stay free when the child she left with never returns? They examine the intersection of law enforcement failure, family neglect, and bureaucratic paralysis — and what it says about the way America protects its most vulnerable. This episode is empathy for the child, outrage for the system, and an unflinching call for accountability. Because Melodee Buzzard didn’t vanish overnight. She disappeared over years of warning signs ignored. Hashtags: #MelodeeBuzzard #SystemFailure #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday #TonyBrueski #JenniferCoffindaffer #MissingChild #JusticeForMelodee Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

29 Loka 31min

Inside the Secret Connection Between D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Inside the Secret Connection Between D4vd and Celeste Rivas Hernandez

When 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez vanished from her California home, nobody imagined she’d later be found inside a Tesla — registered to viral pop star d4vd. The question haunting everyone since: what was their relationship? In this episode, Tony Brueski takes you inside the connection that’s now at the center of one of the most disturbing Hollywood investigations of the year.  Matching tattoos. An unreleased song called “Celeste.” Photos reportedly taken by him. A livestream clip that ends with the words “Delete everything.” What do these pieces mean — and how close were they, really? This isn’t gossip. It’s a deep dive into a power dynamic that may have crossed the line between fame and exploitation — and a reminder of what happens when influence meets innocence. Tony separates fact from rumor, walking the razor’s edge between evidence and silence in a case that’s as tragic as it is chilling. Hashtags:  #d4vd #CelesteRivasHernandez #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday #TonyBrueski #HollywoodCrime #CelebrityScandal #JusticeForCeleste #TrueCrimePodcast #InvestigativeJournalism #PowerAndFame #PodcastClip #CrimeStory Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

29 Loka 22min

15 People Saw Laci Peterson Alive!! NONE Were Heard in Court!

15 People Saw Laci Peterson Alive!! NONE Were Heard in Court!

Imagine fifteen people—five of whom personally knew Laci Peterson—telling police they saw her alive, walking her golden retriever, after her husband had already left for his solo fishing trip. Now imagine every single one of them ignored. That’s the picture painted by the LA Innocence Project in its new 600-page petition for a new trial. The filing lists more than a dozen witnesses who saw a pregnant woman matching Laci’s description between 9:45 and 11:30 a.m. on Dec 24 2002, right in the Petersons’ Modesto neighborhood. Detective Grogan told jurors no “verifiable” sightings existed. Yet other officers called those witnesses “credible.” Several now swear they were told by police, “We already got our guy.” This episode examines the testimonies that never reached a courtroom—and why suppressing them matters. If Laci was seen alive after Scott left, the state’s entire timeline collapses. Fifteen people say they saw the truth. The question is — why didn’t anyone want the jury to? #ScottPeterson #LaciPeterson #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #LAInnocenceProject #JusticeForLaci #TonyBrueski #WrongfulConviction #EyewitnessTestimony #CriminalJustice Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?  Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

29 Loka 1h 9min

Break the Case: Former FBI Agent Breaks Down the Case of Missing Girl Melodee Buzzard

Break the Case: Former FBI Agent Breaks Down the Case of Missing Girl Melodee Buzzard

Nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard should have been in a classroom in Lompoc, California. Instead, she’s missing—and the story unfolding around her disappearance is hauntingly familiar to anyone who followed the Harmony Montgomery case. Former FBI agent and expert witness Jennifer Coffindaffer returns to Break the Case to dissect every known detail of this developing investigation, from the last verified sightings to the eerie gaps that have law enforcement scrambling for answers. Coffindaffer recounts how the case began not with a frantic 911 call, but with a report from the Lompoc Unified School District after Melodee hadn’t attended school for months. The child’s father died in a motorcycle crash when she was only six months old, and her mother, Ashley, appeared to have spiraled since. A chilling interview with Melodee’s grandmother revealed a home in squalor, unfit for a child, and a family paralyzed by distance and dysfunction. By the time Child Protective Services intervened, it was already too late—Melodee had vanished. Law enforcement has released a crucial timeline. Melodee was last seen on October 7, 2025, at a California rental car agency, traveling with her mother, who reportedly planned a cross-country trip to Nebraska. Surveillance footage shows the child heavily clothed, possibly wearing a wig—a potential attempt to disguise her identity. As Coffindaffer points out, these details suggest intention, preparation, and deep secrecy. The FBI and Santa Barbara authorities have since executed search warrants, but so far, no confirmed trace of Melodee has been found. Through methodical breakdowns, Coffindaffer urges the public to share Melodee’s image widely, drawing parallels to how social media once led to the discovery of Gabby Petito. Every share, every view, could be the one that brings a missing child home—or finally reveals the truth about what happened to her. #MelodeeBuzzard #MissingChild #TrueCrime #JenniferCoffindaffer #BreakTheCase #FBIInvestigation #HarmonyMontgomery #CPSFailure #GabbyPetito #TrueCrimeCommunity Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

29 Loka 41min

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