Man Gave Up a Kidney for His Wife Now He Wants It Back

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Man Wants Ex to Pay for Donated Kidney
posted: 56 MINUTES AGO

(Jan. 7) - When they were married, a New York doctor gave up one of his kidneys to save his ailing wife. Now they're getting a divorce, and he wants it back.

Dr. Richard Batista said Wednesday he is suing his estranged wife, Dawnell. Since he doesn't really expect her to return the kidney, he is demanding $1.5 million in compensation instead.

Batista claims his wife had an affair.
"There's no deeper pain or betrayal from somebody you loved and devoted your whole life to," he told a news conference at his lawyer's office in Garden City on Long Island.

Batista, 49, who works for Nassau University Medical Center, said he gave his kidney to Dawnell Batista in June 2001. She filed for divorce in July 2005.



The Batistas have three children, ages, 8, 11 and 14.
A message left for Dawnell Batista's attorney, Douglas Rothkopf, was not immediately returned.