Amazon settles defamation lawsuit brought by Georgia doctor who sought $15M
A defamation lawsuit filed against Amazon and its podcast subsidiary, Wondery, has been settled out of court. The initial complaint, filed by a doctor in Georgia, stemmed from sensational claims a show on Wondery called “Seven Deadly Sinners” made about his work at an immigration detention facility.
Among the accusations levied against Mahendra Amin, MD, was that he performed forced hysterectomies on women in detention, without a medically justifiable reason while he was caring for patients at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in Irwin County, Georgia.
The host of the podcast, comedian Rachael O’Brien, was named as a defendant in the lawsuit alongside Wondery and Amazon. The case was settled out of court, with terms sealed to the public. However, Amin was seeking $15 million.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Amazon unsuccessfully attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that it and Wondery had nothing to do with producing Seven Deadly Sinners and were unaware of its content. The podcast episode in question aired in April 2023, at which time Amin said misconduct claims against him had been proven false.
The initial allegations against Amin stemmed from a whistleblower complaint made in 2020 by a nurse working at the ICE facility. However, it was NBC News that widely publicized the report and spurred shows like the one hosted by O’Brien to cover the story.
The ‘Uterus Collector’
A judge hearing a separate case filed by Amin against MSNBC confirmed that much of what the whistleblower said was bogus, ruling that the doctor could seek damages for “actual malice,” as the outlet’s own internal investigation into the veracity of the allegations “did not corroborate the accusations and even undermined some.”
MSNBC, on behalf of its NBC News brand, ultimately settled that lawsuit instead of facing a jury. Amin was seeking $30 million in that case, which was largely the jumping point for other outlets to cover the claims made against him.
Reporters at NBC News referred to the doctor as the “Uterus Collector” in multiple cable TV segments. Those stories were released in Fall 2020, with the defamation lawsuit coming to an end in February 2025.
In its own report, U.S. Senate accused Amin of performing unnecessary gynecological procedures while at the ICE detention facility, confirming some of the whistleblower claims. Amin opted not to testify before a Senate committee, citing his Constitutional rights to remain silent.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, investigations conducted both internally by ICE and the U.S. Department of Justice all found no evidence the doctor was guilty of any crimes.
Additionally, the newspaper said malpractice claims filed against Amin by those detained at the ICE prison have all since been dismissed.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.