Mrs. Parks protested that Nurse Sorrells was not supposed to forcibly retract the foreskin

An intact (uncircumcised) infant and his parents have sued Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. for the alleged forced retraction of his foreskin while undergoing urinary catheterization. The case, Parks, et al. v. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, et al., was filed on January 10, 2018 in the State Court of Fulton County, Georgia and has been assigned Civil Action File No. 18EV000194. It may be accessed at https://publicrecordsaccess.fultoncountyga.gov/Portal/Home/WorkspaceMode?p=0. The Complaint alleges that Leon Jude Parks, a non-circumcised male less than two months of age, was taken by his mother Cassie N. Parks to the Emergency Room of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in Atlanta, Georgia on February 5, 2016 with a complaint of vomiting. The Complaint contends that, as is the case with virtually all intact infant males, his foreskin was attached to the head of his penis and could not be pulled back. It alleges that the attending ER doctor ordered that blood and urine samples be drawn, that two nurses came to perform the procedures, and that one of those, Bethany P. Sorrells, RN, took off Jude's diaper in order to insert a urinary catheter to obtain the urine sample. It further alleges that without asking permission to do so and without warning, she forcibly tore and retracted his foreskin all the way back off of the head of the penis, which caused the penis to become bloody and caused Jude to experience severe physical and mental pain and suffering. In addition, it alleges that when Mrs. Parks protested that Nurse Sorrells was not supposed to forcibly retract the foreskin, Nurse Sorrells insisted that Mrs. Parks should be retracting the foreskin at every diaper change and engaged in an argument with her that caused her to leave the room in distress. It further alleges that thereafter a nursing supervisor argued with Mrs. Parks and insisted that such forced retraction of the foreskin was hospital "protocol," that this was done in every case, that Nurse Sorrells had done nothing wrong, and that leaving Jude uncircumcised left him open for infection. The Complaint alleges that the comments by Nurse Sorrells and the nursing supervisor constituted the intentional infliction of emotional distress upon Mrs. Parks.

The Complaint alleges that Nurse Sorrells committed a battery upon Jude, that she committed nursing malpractice by tearing the foreskin from the glans, that Nurse Sorrells and the nurse supervisor intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Mrs. Parks, that Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. willfully, wantonly, and recklessly established policies and procedures that requires its nurses to forcibly retract boys’ foreskins, and that Children's negligently failed to protect Jude from the negligence of Nurse Sorrells. The claim of nursing malpractice is supported by an Affidavit of Sylvia Joy Zakusilov, R.N., an ER nurse from Indiana.

The Plaintiffs are represented by David J. Llewellyn, a trial lawyer with the firm of Johnson & Ward in Atlanta, Georgia. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, he has been a member of the Georgia Bar for 38 years. Mr. Llewellyn specializes in the representation of the victims of genital injury, including wrongful circumcisions and botched circumcisions, both infant and adult. He has represented numerous such victims throughout the United States. He has made several radio and TV appearances and has written and spoken widely on the subject of circumcision both in the U.S. and abroad.