Emily Mitchell and her husband were awarded what is believed to be the largest sum from a medical malpractice lawsuit in Maine history after Ms Mitchell's bladder was removed21:05, 28 Jul 2026A woman has been handed a massive £12million payout after surgeons erroneously removed her bladder during what her lawyers have said was "one of the most devastating surgical errors imaginable".‌Emily Mitchell, 41, was awarded the $17m (£12.79m) by Kennebec County Superior Court after the vital organ was removed by surgeons at Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville, Maine, in the US. She had undergone surgery to have an ovarian cyst removed at the hospital in March 2023, but was transferred to the Maine Medical Centre when her condition deteriorated.‌There, doctors discovered her bladder had been removed, a mistake that forced Emily to undergo months of corrective surgeries. Lawyers for Ms Mitchell from the firm Berman & Simmons said she had scheduled the surgery after imaging showed a benign ovarian cyst had significantly increased in size.‌During the procedure, the lawyers said pathology confirmed that, instead of removing the cyst, surgeons removed "full-thickness bladder tissue". The firm said the doctors had extracted so much tissue that it would be impossible to "reconstruct or repair the organ".Ms Mitchell spent the following eight months on bilateral nephrostomy tubes - surgically placed tubing inserted through her lower back and into both kidneys. They drained her urine directly from the kidneys and into external bags.‌The process left her with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney infections, and forced her to undergo multiple medical procedures that came with new complications. She was eventually sent to Massacheussetts, where surgeons fitted her with a neo bladder made from a section of her small intestine.Nearly three years following the shock loss of her bladder, she "continues to live with the permanent effects of those injuries", her lawyers said.Among the permanent effects, the lawyers said, is the requirement to insert a catheter multiple times a day so she can drain the neobladder, and ongoing medical treatment from specialists. Ms Mitchell won her lawsuit against Northern Light Inland Hospital and Northern Light Health last Thursday following a two-week medical malpractice trial.‌The massive award, believed to be the largest in Kennebec County history, composed of nearly $2m (£1.5m) for past and future medical expenses, $6m (£4.5m) for pain and suffering and $8 million (£6.01 million) for permanent injury. Ms Mitchell's husband, Joshua, received more than $1m (£752,000) for the loss of her care and companionship.Attorney Susan A Faunce said in a statement following the payout that it was a multifaceted victory for Ms Mitchell, who was finally receiving closure she has "needed for a long time".The lawyer said: "For our clients, this isn't just a legal victory—it's the closure they've needed for a long time. They can finally begin to move forward, knowing that what happened to them was seen, heard, and acknowledged. This verdict won't undo the pain our clients have endured, but it does offer something they haven't had in a long time: closure.Article continues below"They can finally put this chapter behind them." Ms Faunce added: “Although it doesn’t erase the pain and the loss that they’ve endured or that they continue to endure, the verdict recognizes the truth of what they’ve gone through and provides long overdue accountability. “