Judith Richardson Haymes was a famous psychic who could read people’s auras and help police solve crimes. She also practiced psychics in New Castle, Delaware. In 1976, Hames went to Temple University Hospital to undergo a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan to determine the nature and cause of tumors in her ear.
During the procedure, Hames warned the radiologist that she had previously had allergic reactions to iodine-based dyes, so she was told to avoid those dyes. However, the radiologist suggested experimenting with a small amount of the dye, which sent Hames into anaphylactic shock. In the days that followed, she suffered from severe nausea, vomiting, rashes and hives, as well as severe headaches. The headaches continued whenever she tried to concentrate deeply.
After a couple of months, Hames became so debilitated by the headaches that she had to shut down her psychic business. She filed a malpractice suit, claiming that the CT scan she had received rendered her unable to use her psychic abilities.
At trial, Hames’ team presented testimony from three law enforcement officers who claimed she had helped solve their crimes. The judge instructed the jury not to consider her claims about her psychic abilities and loss of practice in the lawsuit. Rather, they should focus solely on injuries from allergic reactions such as scarring, hives, and nausea.
So, the eight-person jury went away for 45 minutes. When they returned, it was decided to award Hames $988,000 ($600,000 in damages and $388,000 in interest). But attorneys for the hospital were outraged at the verdict and argued that the jury had ignored the judge’s instructions and asked that the verdict be overturned. The judge agreed with the appeal and dismissed the verdict as excessive, ordering a new trial.
A second trial was held in 1989, and the entire case was dismissed when the new judge ruled that plaintiff’s medical examiner was unqualified. This decision was then affirmed by a divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1991.
Hames never saw a dime and did not receive proper medical care for her problems. This case raised questions about how psychic abilities are real and the extent to which they can be damaged by physical factors such as CT scans.
Many scientists and experts believe that psychic abilities have no scientific basis and are the result of either deception or self-deception. However, there are those who believe in the possibility of using psychic abilities to solve problems in life.
