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{{Construction Site}}'''Flatt v. Kantak and Meritcare''' is a 1999 North Dakota case. The parents of Josiah Flatt sued in [https://www.ndcourts.gov/court-locations/cass-county Cass County District Court] , Civil Case No. 99-3761, Dr. [https://www.sanfordhealth.org/doctors/sunita-kantak Sunita Kantak] who circumcised Josiah Flatt and [https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fargo-clinic-and-meritcare-health-system Meritcare Hospital of Fargo] where he was [[circumcised]]. The plaintiffs were represented by [[Zenas Baer]] of Hawley, Minnesota.<ref name="forum1999">{{REFnews
fixed CIRP URLs
|title=Fargo couple want ban on female genital mutilation to include boys
|url=http://www.circumstitions.com/Law.html#flatt
|last=Sullivan |first=Jack
|coauthors=
|publisher=The Forum
}}</ref>
== Case ==
Anita Flatt gave birth to a son early on 6 March 1997. That evening, a nurse asked Anita Flatt to sign a consent form to permit the [[circumcision]] of newborn Josiah Flatt. The Flatts allege that the consent form was deficient in not stating the benefits or the risks of the procedure. According to the lawsuit, Flatt was still on medication and in great pain at the time the consent form was presented.<ref name="forum1999" />
== Trial ==Presiding Judge Cynthia Rothe-Seeger denied a motion for summary judgment and said the case may proceed to trial on 3 February 2003. The precedent setting decision confirms that a baby who is [[circumcised ]] can sue his doctor when he reaches age of majority, even if there was parental consent for the [[circumcision]], and even if the results are considered to be 'normal.’ [[J. Steven Svoboda]], executive director of [[Attorneys for the Rights of the Child]] (ARC) commented, "This is the latest in a series of warnings to doctors who still circumcise: proceed at your peril, because even if you get parental consent and do a standard job of the circumcision, the child can still grow up and sue you for taking away part of his penis."<ref>{{REFweb
|url=http://www.boystoo.com/press/flattpress.htm#Attorneys
|archived=
|quote=
}}</ref>
Judge Rothe-Seeger issued an order in limine to exclude from the evidence presented pictures of a [[circumcision]], the circumcision instruments, and other matters.<ref>{{REFdocument
|title=Order on Motions in Limine
|url=http://www.boystoo.com/legal/Order%20On%20Motions%20In%20Limine.pdf
|contribution=
|last=Rothe-Seeger
|first=Cynthia
|publisher=
|format=
|date=2003-01-24
|accessdate=2020-07-20
}}</ref>
[[Robert S. Van Howe]], {{MD}}, [[Christopher J. Cold]], {{MD}}, and Eileen Wayne, {{MD}}, served as expert witnesses for the plaintiffs.
Judge Rothe-Seeger dismissed the case against Meritcare Hospital after the plaintiffs called their last witness, leaving Dr. Kantak as the sole remaining defendant.<ref name="baird2003">{{REFnews
|title=Hospital dismissed from circumcision lawsuit
|url=https://www.cirp.org/news/2003/2003-02-14_theforum.php
|last=Baird
|first=Jeff
|coauthors=
|publisher=The Forum
|website=[[CIRP]]
|date=2003-02-14
|accessdate=2020-07-20
|quote=
}}</ref>
The [https://www.vogellaw.com/ Vogel Law Firm] represented the defendants. Craig Shoemaker, {{MD}},<ref name="shoemaker2002">{{REFdocument
|title=Deposition of Craig Shoemaker
|url=http://www.boystoo.com/legal/shoemakerdepo.htm
|contribution=
|last=Shoemaker
|first=Craig
|publisher=Vogel Law Firm
|format=
|date=2002-02-27
|accessdate=2020-07-20
}}</ref> and [[George W. Kaplan]], {{MD}},<ref name="kaplan2002">{{REFdocument
|title=Flatt vs. Kantak 3: Deposition of George Kaplan, M.D.
|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20030606035353/http://www.boystoo.com/legal/kaplandepo.htm
|archived=yes
|contribution=
|last=Kaplan
|first=George W.
|init=GW
|author-link=George W. Kaplan
|publisher=Vogel Law Firm
|format=
|date=2002-02-26
|accessdate=2020-07-20
}}</ref> served as expert witnesses for the defendants.
The jury ruled that Dr. Kantak was not negligent in in explaining the [[Circumcision_risks| risks of circumcision]] to Anita Flatt for her newborn son, Josiah.<ref name="forster2003">{{REFnews
|title=Judge hears circumcision trial request
|url=https://www.cirp.org/news/2003/2003-07-09_theforum.php
|last=Forster
|first=Dave
|coauthors=
|publisher=The Forum
|website=[[CIRP]]
|date=2003-07-09
|accessdate=2020-07-20
|quote=
}}</ref>
[[Zenas Baer]], attorney for the plaintiffs petitioned the court for a new trial.<ref name="forster2003" />
== Precedent ==
{{Citation
|Title=Precedent
|Text=A baby who is circumcised can sue his doctor when he reaches age of majority, even if there was parental consent for the circumcision, and even if the results are considered to be 'normal.'
|Author=Judge Cynthia Rothe-Seeger
}}
{{SEEALSO}}
* [[Informed consent]]
{{LINKS}}
* {{REFweb |url=http://www.circumstitions.com/Law.html |title=After 13 years, justice for boy left brain-damaged after circumcision |date=2000-03-08 |accessdate=2022-02-24}}* http{{REFweb |url=https://www.circumstitions.com/flatt.html* http://arclaw.org/resources/articlespress-releases/circumcision-case-to-proceed-to-trial |title=Circumcision Case to Proceed to Trial |date=2002-07-29 |accessdate=2022-02-24}}* http{{REFweb |url=https://www.cirp.org/news/theforum022003/2003-02-14_theforum.php |title=Hospital dismissed from circumcision lawsuit |last=Baird |first=Jeff |website=[[CIRP]] |date=2003-02-14 |accessdate=2022-02-03/24}}* {{REFweb |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190411071400/http://www.boystoo.com/legal/informconsent1.htm |archived=yes |title=Flatt v. Kantak 1 and Meritcare Hospital: What Constitutes Informed Consent? |date=2019-04-11 |accessdate=2022-02-24}}* {{REFweb |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190411122400/http://www.boystoo.com/press/flattpress.htm |archived=yes |title=Flatt v. Kantak: N.D. Suit on Informed Consent |date=2019-04-11 |accessdate=2022-02-24}}
{{ABBR}}
{{REF}}
[[Category:'... v. ...']]
[[Category:Lawsuit]]
[[Category:Litigation]]
[[Category:Litigation over circumcision]]
[[Category:Precedent]]
[[Category:From IntactWiki]]