Man demands his ex-wife gives him back her KIDNEY she donated to him or pay $1.5million
- Dr Richard Batista, from New York, donated kidney to wife Dawnell in 2001
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A shocking story of a man who demanded he hand his kidney returned to him after getting divorced has resurfaced online, leaving people shocked.
Dr Richard Batista - a prominent Long Island vascular surgeon, Cornell graduate, and father of three - gave his wife, Dawnell, his kidney when she suffered renal failure in 2001 in a desperate bid to save her life - and their marriage.
But when they split up four years later, he demanded Dawnell return the kidney he had donated her - or else, pay him $1.5 million.
The pair met in the 1980s, while Richard was a resident and Dawnell a training nurse.
They soon fell in love and married in 1990, going on to have three daughters - but the marriage slowly began to fall apart.
When Dr Richard Batiste and wife Dawnell split up in 2005, he demanded she return the kidney he had donated her - or else, pay him $1.5 million in compensation
Richard has claimed their relationship was already on the rocks when Dawnell went into renal failure in 2001 and needed a kidney transplant - although he did not hesitate to give her his organ when he discovered he was a match.
'She was my wife. My priority was to save her life, save her life and future of our children and hopefully with that in mind keep the marriage alive,' he told CBS in 2009.
'When I donated… the next day on my feet going down hallway to visit her in adjoining room, there was no greater feeling on this planet.
'As God is my witness, I felt I could put my arm around Jesus Christ.
'[It was] unbelievable. I was walking on a cloud. I did the right thing for her to this day. I could still do it again.'
Four years later, in 2005, though Dawnell Batista lived, the marriage gamble had failed - leading her to file for divorce.
Until now, Dawnell (pictured) has not publicly commented, but, needless to say, Richard did not succeed in getting either the kidney or the compensation during the divorce proceedings
However, Richard accused the mother of his children of having an affair and throwing him out of their million-dollar Massapequa home.
'There is no deeper pain you can ever express than betrayal from someone who you loved and devoted your whole life to,' Richard, who is now 64, told local media at the time.
He also claimed he was suing for the kidney because his wife had denied him contact with their three children, who were aged eight, 11 and 14.
'I saved her life. This divorce is killing me,' he told reporters, as he further demanded to be compensated $1.5 million from his wife should the organ not be returned.
Needless to say, Richard did not succeed in getting either the kidney or the compensation during the divorce proceedings.
In a 10-page decision, the Nassau County Supreme Court rejected his request and ruled that the kidney was a gift.
Doctors told CBS that an operation to return the kidney was not only unethical but nearly impossible.
Georgetown University's Kennedy Institute of Ethics reports it is illegal for an organ to be exchanged for anything of value. Organs in the United States may not be bought or sold, and donating one is considered a gift.
After the tale resurfaced online, people quickly shared their shock.
'You've got to be kidding me,' said one.
''Til death do they part...,' said another.
'It is her's legally, like "gave her" is the key phrase here,' said another.
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