Detransitioner Wins $2 Million Lawsuit Against Doctors Who Pushed Her Mastectomy As A Minor
A New York jury found two medical providers liable for malpractice after concluding they 'failed to meet the standard of care' before approving the irreversible surgery on Fox Varin, who was juts 16 years old.
A 22-year-old detransitioner named Fox Varin has won a $2 million lawsuit against the psychologist and surgeon who approved and performed a double mastectomy on her when she was just 16 years old.
It's a historic ruling — not just because of the dollar amount, but because Varin is the first detransitioner to take a medical malpractice case before a jury verdict. And her win could have a ripple effect across the medical field.
A Westchester County jury found psychologist Kenneth Einhorn and plastic surgeon Dr. Simon Chin liable for malpractice after concluding the providers departed from the standard of care before approving an irreversible surgery on a healthy minor. Varin was awarded $1.6 million for past and future pain and suffering and $400,000 for future medical expenses.
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The case did not ask jurors to rule on the ethics of so-called "gender-affirming care" as a whole. Instead, the jury focused on whether these doctors took appropriate steps. And the answer was no.
"The jury found that in many respects the surgeon and psychologist had skipped important steps when evaluating whether she should go forward with the surgery and had not adequately communicated with each other," the verdict stated. "These missteps were a ‘departure from the standard of care.’"
Fox Varin: 'I Stopped Feeling Safe Being Female'
Because the trial record is sealed, much of what the public knows comes from reporter Benjamin Ryan, who attended the entire three-week trial and later published an extensive account in The Free Press.
Ryan described the proceedings as "riveting and at times devastating," noting that his reporting may be "the only way for the public to learn about the finer details of this lawsuit."
Those details matter. And they were disturbing.
Varin's mother, Claire Deacon, testified that she initially opposed the surgery but ultimately consented out of fear her daughter would commit suicide.
"This man was just so emphatic, and pushing and pushing, that I felt like there was no good decision," Deacon testified.
Many trans activists push the idea that if kids don't receive "gender-affirming" healthcare, they will commit suicide.
(Photo by Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)
On the stand, Varin explained that her mental health wasn't adequately addressed before surgical intervention.
"I stopped feeling safe being female," Varin testified. "I think being perceived as female bothered me, not because I was male, but because I didn’t want people seeing me as female.
"I think there’s a difference between wanting to be male versus just not wanting to be female and not wanting to face everything that comes with it."
Only about a year passed between the first time Varin mentioned she might be transgender and the surgery that permanently altered her body.
Why This Verdict Matters
This ruling comes at a time when more detransitioners are coming forward. So far, 28 similar lawsuits are now in various stages across the U.S., but none had previously made it to a jury verdict.
As Ryan reported, several clinicians with past leadership roles in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) testified or commented on the case, warning that politics and activism have distorted clinical judgment.
"This verdict should serve as a warning to reckless providers of gender-affirming care to minors," said Erica Anderson, an expert witness for the plaintiff. "Those providers who are unqualified to provide care to gender-questioning adolescents who also ignore the standards of care will be held to account."
Another psychologist, Laura Edwards-Leeper, put it even more bluntly: "The harm inflicted on this young patient highlights what happens when healthcare is driven more by politics and social activism than by careful, common-sense assessment and treatment."
Doctors Raise Concerns About ‘Gender-Affirming’ Care For Minors
Concerns raised in the Varin case echo warnings that physicians have been making publicly for a while now.
In a conversation with OutKick last April, Dr. Marc Siegel questioned whether children can meaningfully consent to interventions with lifelong consequences. Especially irreversible surgeries like Varin's mastectomy.
"How does somebody make an informed decision in childhood?... I think over the age of 18, for sure, is informed consent," he said. "I’m kind of wondering — who’s making the decision? Is it the child? Is it the parent? Is it the doctor?"
Protesters rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in a case on Tennessee's law banning "gender-affirming" care for minors.
(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Board-certified physician Dr. Nicole Saphier warned about potential dangers of performing unnecessary surgeries and administering cross-sex hormones to minors.
"The potential physical and mental health risks of these interventions, especially in young, developing bodies, cannot be overstated," Saphier told OutKick. "Puberty is a critical window for growth, bone density, and emotional maturation, and altering it with hormone blockers can lead to irreversible consequences — ranging from weakened skeletal health and infertility to heightened anxiety and depression."
Both doctors who spoke to OutKick — and those testifying in Varin's case — argued that gender-confused kids need support, not drugs and surgeries. Because while politicians have turned transgenderism into an ideological war, real kids are suffering the consequences.
As Dr. Saphier put it: "We need transparent, unbiased research to safeguard our children’s long-term health — not studies influenced by corporate agendas or ideological leanings."
(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
For parents who are facing difficult decisions, Siegel encouraged compassion over haste.
"I think gender dysphoria is real," Siegel said. "And I think that if your child is expressing gender dysphoria, the first and most important thing you could do is show them love, show them a family structure, if you can, and have them see someone that you feel comfortable with, a therapist you feel comfortable with."
And for the first time, a jury agreed. The Fox Varin ruling sends a clear message that when doctors rush vulnerable children toward irreversible procedures, they can and will be held accountable for the damage that follows.