Atlanta, Georgia, — A Fulton County jury has awarded $2.25 million to the parents of a newborn who died during childbirth after a pathologist shared graphic images of the baby’s autopsy on social media without their consent on June 18, 2025.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday in a civil damages trial involving Dr. Jackson Gates, a pathologist, and his company Medical Diagnostic Choices of Atlanta. The jury found that Gates caused severe emotional harm to the parents, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., by posting images and videos of their baby’s autopsy on Instagram.
The jury awarded $2 million in compensatory damages to the parents and $250,000 in punitive damages, which is the maximum punitive amount permitted under Georgia law. The damages were awarded for invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud.
A Fulton County judge had already ruled in March 2024 that Gates and his company were legally liable. The June 2025 trial focused solely on determining the financial damages owed to the parents.
The baby, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., died in July 2023 during delivery at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia.
According to court filings, the delivery became complicated when the baby experienced shoulder dystocia, a medical emergency in which the shoulders become lodged in the birth canal. The lawsuit alleges that excessive force was used during attempts to deliver the baby vaginally, leading to decapitation.
Jessica Ross, who was 20 years old at the time, had reportedly asked for a cesarean section while the baby still had a heartbeat. Her obstetrician, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, continued attempting a vaginal delivery for several hours. An emergency C section was eventually performed, but the baby did not survive.
The Clayton County Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide, a finding the hospital has disputed. Litigation against the hospital and the physician is ongoing and remains unresolved.
After their son’s death, Ross and Taylor hired Gates on July 12, 2023, to conduct a private autopsy. They did not authorize any photos or videos to be shared publicly.
Despite this, Gates posted images and footage of the autopsy on his professional Instagram account. The posts reportedly showed graphic visuals, including the baby’s severed head. The parents discovered the posts weeks later.
In August 2023, the couple sent Gates a cease and desist letter demanding that the content be removed. When the posts remained accessible, they filed a lawsuit in September 2023.
Court records state that the social media posts worsened the parents’ grief and exposed deeply personal trauma to public view without their consent.
Gates has publicly stated that he believed his actions did not violate medical privacy laws. In earlier statements, he said he shared the content for educational purposes and claimed consent was not required.
The court rejected those arguments. The jury concluded that Gates acted recklessly and without regard for the parents’ emotional suffering.
In a statement following the verdict, the parents’ attorneys said the award could not undo the pain of losing a child in such a traumatic way.
They said the jury’s decision sends a clear message that medical professionals must act with empathy and respect, especially when families are grieving the loss of a child.
The case has drawn national attention to ethical boundaries in medicine, particularly regarding the use of social media by healthcare professionals.
While the civil case against Gates has concluded, separate lawsuits against Southern Regional Medical Center and Dr. Tracey St. Julian continue in Clayton County.
For Ross and Taylor, the verdict represents accountability, but not closure, in a tragedy that forever changed their lives.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)