NBCUniversal has settled a lawsuit with local OB/GYN Dr. Mahendra Amin after personalities on MSNBC make “verifiably false” statements accusing Dr. Amin of performing unnecessary hysterectomies at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla. The accusations were levied against Dr. Amin in 2020. The ICDC was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Ocilla.
In September of 2020, a report from a whistleblower surfaced alleging that Dr. Amin performed unnecessary hysterectomies on women who were detained at the detention center. There were other allegations made regarding inadequate COVID-19 protocols and care; however, the hysterectomies are what propelled the story into the national discourse.
Several major news outlets picked up the story, including MSNBC and NBC. In MSNBC reports, Dr. Amin was referred to as a “uterus collector.” On-air show hosts also addressed Dr. Amin using other defamatory language, a Fox news report states. The Fox story also shows that court documents state that Dr. Amin only performed two hysterectomies on detainees.
The two procedures were performed at the Irwin County Hospital.
Documents also demonstrate that show hosts had concerns about the allegations levied against Dr. Amin but broadcast the allegations anyway. Those hosts were Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Chris Hayes.
In July of last year, federal judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled that MSNBC had aired false accusations against Dr. Amin. The next step in the process would be to determine if the network made its statements with actual malice, which is the second litmus test in deciding if statements are slanderous (spoken) or libelous (written). And that, stated Judge Wood, will be determined by a jury, according to the Fox report.
Now, however, a jury will not be required. Friday, NBCU settled the suit with Dr. Amin. According to another Fox News report, the parties have agreed to and signed documentation to settle the suit. The two sides are finalizing the language of the settlement and everything should be completed in the next few weeks.