N.Y. Doctor To Ex: Pay Me Back For Kidney

A New York doctor is demanding that his estranged wife pay him $1.5 million to compensate him for the kidney he gave her while they were still on good terms.

Dr. Richard Batista spoke Wednesday to reporters at his lawyer's office in Garden City, Long Island.

He said he gave his kidney to Dawnell Batista in June 2001. She filed for divorce in July 2005.

Richard Batista wants his estranged wife to pay a heavy price for cheating on him and destroying their marriage, reports the Daily News.

"She slapped me with divorce papers when I was in surgery trying to save another person's life," the doctor said, according to the newspaper.

The 49-year-old Batista works for Nassau University Medical Center. The couple have three children, ages, 8, 11 and 14.

A message left for his wife's attorney, Douglas Rothkopf, was not immediately returned.