Gerald C. Gammon v. Osteopathic Hospital of Maine, Inc., et al.

"The Severed Leg in the Bodybag"

Should the plaintiff be able to recover for emotional distress, despite the lack of risk of physical harm nor the mishandling of a relative's corpse?

Plaintiff was accidentally given a severed leg along with the personal effects of his deceased father. He initially mistook the leg as belonging to his father, but eventually discovered the leg was a pathology specimen removed from another body and returned it. Plaintiff alleged that the incident caused him to experience nightmares for the first time in his life, his personality to change, and his relationship with his family to deteriorate.

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