NBCUniversal has reached a legal settlement in a high-profile defamation lawsuit brought by Georgia gynecologist Dr. Mahendra Amin, ending a years-long legal battle over MSNBC’s false portrayal of the physician as a prolific abuser of immigrant detainees. The case, which drew national attention in 2020, was officially dismissed on Friday by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.
The defamation case stemmed from a 2020 NBC News article and a series of MSNBC broadcasts that amplified uncorroborated whistleblower allegations that Dr. Amin had performed non-consensual and unnecessary hysterectomies on women held at the Irwin County Detention Center. The media narrative quickly escalated, with MSNBC anchors repeatedly referring to Amin as the “uterus collector.”
Dr. Amin sued NBCUniversal for $30 million, alleging that the company published knowingly false claims and presented him as “an abusive, unethical, and dishonest physician” without evidence. The case had been scheduled for trial on April 22, but the proceedings were canceled after a settlement was reached in February. The terms remain confidential.
U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, who oversaw the case, previously found that multiple claims central to NBC’s reporting were verifiably false. Her 108-page ruling noted:
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Only two hysterectomies were performed by Amin on detainees — both medically necessary and consented to by the patients.
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There was no evidence of “mass hysterectomies” at the facility.
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The nickname “uterus collector” was unfounded, sensationalized, and defamatory.
Judge Wood also determined that NBCUniversal may have acted with actual malice, a crucial standard in defamation cases involving public figures. Despite conducting an internal investigation that undermined the whistleblower’s claims, NBCUniversal proceeded to repeat and amplify them in print and broadcast.
Had the case gone to trial, MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, and Nicolle Wallace, along with several NBC News reporters and producers, were listed as potential witnesses. Amin’s attorneys alleged that the network continued to air defamatory content even after internal reviews cast doubt on the initial allegations.
In a statement, Amin’s legal team said the doctor had been “vindicated” after enduring years of reputational harm. “It is unfortunate that he had to sue to get confirmation of what was known all along,” they said, calling the reporting reckless and misleading.
NBCUniversal and MSNBC have not commented publicly on the settlement. Amin’s name has been cleared, but questions remain over the network’s editorial standards and decision-making process during a time of heightened political tension surrounding immigration enforcement.
