Couple Files Lawsuit Against Fertility Clinic After Mother Gave Birth to Stranger’s Baby

A Los Angeles fertility clinic is the target of a lawsuit after a couple alleged that they were implanted with the wrong embryo and gave birth to someone else’s baby, CBS News reports.

Daphna and Alexander Cardinale welcomed their daughter in September 2019 after trying to get pregnant for three years. But a DNA test revealed two months later that the baby girl wasn’t their biological child but a stranger’s. The stranger, who remained anonymous, gave birth to the Cardinale’s child a week before Cardinale.

“Genetic testing revealed that the baby Alexander and Daphna delivered and raised for months was not genetically related to them,” the couple’s attorneys said. “Their baby was the biological child of complete strangers.”

The Cardinales got their baby back and are now suing their doctor, the California Center for Reproductive Health, and a third-party embryology lab for alleged misconduct, as well as medical malpractice and negligence.

“We had to play a lot of catchup,” Alexander said.