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He Gave His Wife His Kidney. During the Divorce, He Demanded It Back.
The extraordinary story of Dr. Richard Batista, the kidney donation that was meant to save his wife’s life, and the divorce battle that eventually reached a New York court
In 2001, Dr. Richard Batista made an extraordinary decision. His wife, Dawnell Batista, was suffering from serious kidney problems after two previous transplant attempts had failed. Richard, a surgeon from Long Island, became her living donor and gave her one of his own kidneys.
The transplant was successful and saved Dawnell’s life.
At the time, the decision was presented as an act of love and sacrifice. Richard later explained that his first priority had been saving his wife’s life and that he also hoped the transplant would help repair the problems in their marriage.
But several years later, the couple’s relationship collapsed.
In July 2005, Dawnell filed for divorce. What followed was a bitter legal dispute that eventually attracted national attention because Richard made an extraordinary demand: he wanted his donated kidney returned or, alternatively, wanted approximately $1.5 million in compensation.
The story became one of the strangest divorce cases in American legal history.
A Life-Saving Gift
Richard Batista had donated his kidney when his wife desperately needed a transplant. The operation took place on June 18, 2001, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.
Dawnell had already experienced two failed transplant attempts, making the situation particularly serious. Richard was a compatible donor, and he decided to undergo surgery himself so that his wife could receive the organ she needed.
The transplant gave Dawnell another chance at life.
Richard later said that saving her life was his primary motivation. He also acknowledged that he hoped the operation would help repair their troubled marriage.
For a time, the couple remained together.
But the marriage eventually deteriorated, and in 2005 Dawnell began divorce proceedings.