A young woman who had her breasts cut off as a teenager has been granted a $2million payout in what is being cited as a landmark court decision.
Fox Varian decided to have the life-altering "top-surgery", removing her breasts to become a boy when she was just 16 years old.
The now-22-year-old, who is considered a "detransitioner", has warned against the "massive medical and social experiment" on youngsters who believe they have been born in the wrong body.
She says the double mastectomy was pushed on her when she was a minor, after approval from psychologist Kenneth Einhorn and surgeon Simon Chin - a jury agreed.
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The pair were found to be responsible for ignoring standards of care and procedural guardrails by pressuring the child into handling her gender dysphoria with permanent surgery, the jury in Westchester County Supreme Court decided.
The psychologist "drove the train" and put the idea "in Fox's head" that a gender change was needed, the report said.
Ms Varian underwent the surgery to remove her breasts, which was "wrongly presented" by her medics as a solution to her gender dysphoria, the court was told.
In the first detransitioner malpractice lawsuit in the US to go to trial and win, Ms Varian was awarded $1.6million for past and future damages, and an additional $400,000 for future medical expenses.
A young woman who had her breasts cut off as a teenager has been granted a $2million payout in what is being cited as a landmark court decision
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Ms Varian’s mother, Claire Deacon, told the court that she was against the surgery, but didn't contest it out of fear her daughter would commit suicide, according to The Epoch Times.
"This man was just so emphatic, and pushing and pushing, that I felt like there was no good decision," she told the outlet.
"I think it was a scare tactic. I don’t believe it was malice, I think he believed what he was saying — but he was very, very wrong."
Tech billionaire Elon Musk experienced a similar scenario when his son, Xavier, now Vivienne Jenna, transitioned in 2022.
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The court ruling could set a precedent for 'detransitioners' who received surgery at a young age
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The world's richest man said he was "tricked" by doctors and told his child would take his own life if he refused to consent to cross-sex hormone treatment.
"There will be thousands more court cases of children who were mutilated by evil doctors. The schools, psychologists, psychiatrists, and state officials who facilitated this will pay dearly, too," Mr Musk said after Ms Varian's ruling.
The surgery left the 22-year-old ill and deeply unhappy, court papers suggest, though the surgeon and psychiatrist's lawyers claimed she instead lived happily for years before the lawsuit was filed in 2023. The surgery was completed in 2019.
The professionals were told by Ms Varian's lawyers, however, they should have ensured she did not have other psychological conditions, such as depression, ADHD, autism, or body dysmorphia before urging the surgery.
There are said to be at least 28 compensation cases, similar to Ms Varian's, that are currently being worked on in the US.
In Britain, NHS funding for adult and children's gender dysphoria services, including puberty blockers and surgery, increased to £78million, annually in 2024.
Last month, it was suggested that children as young as 10 could be asked to rate their private body parts as part of a controversial trial over the use of puberty blockers.
The questionnaire has fuelled anger about the ethics of the research, which has faced fierce public criticism, and pressure on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to intervene.
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