In 2001, Richard Batista’s wife Dawnell was suffering from
kidney disease. She was one of 92,000 Americans waiting for a new kidney.
Luckily for Dawnell, Richard was a tissue match. He was happy to donate one of
his kidneys. The transplant was successful, and Dawnell’s health improved
immensely. “And they lived happily ever after,” right? Not exactly. A few years
later, the Batistas’ marriage deteriorated. Dawnell filed for divorce in 2005.
Richard made an unusual demand: return his kidney, or pay $1.5 million. He
argued that he’d agreed to the organ donation on the expectation of a lifetime
of love and companionship which he was now being denied. It almost sounds
reasonable, but the courts disagreed. It was ruled that organs (in the United
States, at least) may not be bought or sold for any price, and donating one is
considered a gift. Poor Richard ended up losing both his wife and his kidney.
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