Overview
- A six-member Westchester County jury found psychologist Dr. Kenneth Einhorn and plastic surgeon Dr. Simon H. Chin liable for deviating from the accepted standard of care in approving a 2019 double mastectomy on a minor.
- The award totals $2 million, including $1.6 million for past and future pain and suffering and $400,000 for future medical expenses.
- Jurors cited failures such as inadequate differential diagnosis, poor coordination between providers, and insufficient disclosure of risks, hazards, and alternatives.
- Varian’s mother testified she consented after suicide warnings from the psychologist; the defense argued the care followed WPATH standards and that the teen had voiced self-harm ideation, but the jury rejected those arguments.
- The case file was sealed, with detailed public reporting drawn from journalist Benjamin Ryan’s courtroom coverage, and analysts note roughly two to three dozen similar lawsuits are pending nationwide.