A New York City couple has filed a lawsuit against a California-based fertility clinic following a mix-up in which the wife was impregnated with a fertilized egg from a different couple. The couple says they paid over $100,000 to CHA Fertility Center in Los Angeles to get pregnant but were forced to relinquish custody of their newborn twins due to the mistake.
The couple thought something was wrong after a sonogram revealed that the woman was carrying twin boys, even though the clinic claimed they had not used male embryos. The clinic told the couple that the sonogram was incorrect and not to worry about the results.
On March 30, the woman gave birth to twin boys and was shocked when she discovered the newborn babies were not of Asian descent. A DNA test confirmed that the children were not related to the couple.
"Plaintiffs were shocked to see that the babies they were told were formed using both of their genetic material did not appear to be," the lawsuit states.
It got even worse for the couple, who was forced to give up custody of the twins to another couple who enlisted the services of CHA Fertility Center.
"Plaintiffs were required to relinquish custody of Baby A and Baby B, thus suffering the loss of two children," the complaint says. "Plaintiffs have suffered significant and permanent emotional injuries for which they will not recover."
It is unclear what happened to the couple's own embryos.
They are seeking unspecified damages from the clinic.
Photo: Getty Images