Another Detransitioner Wins A Huge Settlement

Camille Kiefel, 36, has reportedly secured a confidential $3.5 million settlement after suing two Oregon therapists who approved her for a double mastectomy after only brief telemedicine consultations. The lawsuit alleges that the professionals failed to account for her documented history of mental health issues, including trauma, depression, ADHD, and suicidal ideation. The settlement was reached just days before the case was set to go to trial. This case is part of a growing trend of detransitioners suing healthcare providers, following a similar $2 million judgment won by Fox Varian in February. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has also recently concluded that there is insufficient evidence demonstrating a favorable risk-benefit ratio for gender-related endocrine and surgical interventions in children and adolescents. Kiefel's complaint, filed in 2022, named licensed clinical social worker Amy Ruff and licensed professional counselor Mara Burmeister, along with their respective employers, Brave Space and the Quest Center for Integrative Health. She stated that it took only two Zoom sessions for her to get approval for the surgery. Kiefel's path toward identifying as nonbinary began after a childhood incident in which her best friend was sexually assaulted. She described dressing more masculine to protect herself and later coming to believe that the nonbinary identity could explain her gender-related distress. Despite the surgery, her gender dysphoria was not resolved, and within two years, she detransitioned. She developed physical health issues such as vertigo, tinnitus, and Raynaud's syndrome. She eventually addressed her physical health through nutrition, which led to substantial improvements in both her mental and physical condition. This improvement forced her to question whether the surgery was helpful for her. She stated, "I didn't want what happened to me to happen to other vulnerable girls and women." Her lawsuit alleged professional malpractice, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraud, each rooted in the allegation that she was neither properly evaluated nor genuinely informed before she consented to an irreversible procedure. Kiefel says she reached out to gender medicine organizations in hopes of creating dialogue around how vulnerable patients are screened and counseled, but those efforts went nowhere. She believes that lawsuits are the only venue left with any real leverage to create change. Despite detransitioning, her body will never be the same. She expressed the difficulty of living with the physical and emotional scars, stating, "And it is difficult because there's like little reminders like, I'll be looking in a mirror after taking a shower and those ugly scars are still there." She also noted that she would never be able to nurse her children, which she says has been difficult. Despite the challenges, Kiefel says she is now the most mentally stable she has ever been. Cases like this are likely to reshape gender medicine for years to come, as doctors, therapists, and hospitals face growing legal and financial pressure over how quickly irreversible procedures were approved for vulnerable patients.

(Source：Zerohedge)