Man Wins $500,000 After Colonoscopy Phone Recording Catches Doctors Mocking Him

A man from Vienna, Virginia, walked away with a $500,000 court award after his phone accidentally recorded shocking conversations between his doctors while he was under anesthesia for a colonoscopy.

The man, who has chosen to stay anonymous, brought a lawsuit against anesthesiologist Dr. Tiffany Ingham along with three other medical professionals.

The other staff members were later released from the case, but Ingham, 42, and her practice were held accountable.

According to The Washington Post, a jury in Reston, Virginia, ordered her and the practice to pay the full amount.

Before the April 2013 procedure, the patient had set his phone to record so he could keep track of post-surgery instructions.

What he didn’t expect was that the recording would capture his entire colonoscopy, including the cruel remarks made by the doctors while he was unconscious.

On his way home, he checked his phone and was stunned to discover what had been said. Ingham could be heard mocking how much anesthesia was needed to sedate him.

At one point, she was recorded saying: "After five minutes of talking to you in pre-op, I wanted to punch you in the face and man you up a little bit."

The comments didn’t stop there. Ingham and others mocked him for the amount of medication he was taking.

Among them was Gabapentin, which had been prescribed to treat an irritation in his genital area.

A medical assistant reportedly touched his genitals and then joked she might have caught a sexually transmitted infection from him.

Ingham was recorded saying the assistant could get "some syphilis on your arm or something," before adding, "It's probably tuberculosis in the penis, so you’ll be all right."

What made this even more alarming was that the genital area has nothing to do with a colonoscopy, making the behavior inappropriate and unnecessary.

The anesthesiologist also signed a post-surgery note claiming the patient had hemorrhoids, even though she allegedly admitted she hadn’t found any.

According to the lawsuit, she said she would document hemorrhoids regardless.

The patient later said he suffered emotional harm because of the incident, including ongoing anxiety, trouble focusing, and distress.

He reported needing to see other medical professionals and being prescribed anti-anxiety medication as a direct result of the experience.

The lawsuit was filed on multiple grounds: defamation, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, violation of Virginia health codes, and medical malpractice.

The jury decided in his favor, awarding him $100,000 for defamation, $200,000 for medical malpractice, and another $200,000 in punitive damages.

At the time, Ingham worked with the Aisthesis anesthesia practice.

A representative from the group later confirmed to the Associated Press that she was no longer employed there.