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Two California-based firms involved in pairing infertile couples with surrogate mothers have stopped paying surrogates, raising fears about the status of thousands of dollars in advance payments from prospective parents, according to clients and employees of the firms.

Some pregnant surrogates say they have been left with no assurance of payment. One surrogate who recently had a caesarean section is owed nearly $14,000 and has not yet been cleared by her doctor to return to work, according to her case manager at one of the firms, SurroGenesis USA.

Families were warned earlier this month in e-mails from a high-ranking employee at SurroGenesis that the company had received numerous complaints about surrogates, egg donors and vendors not getting paid. The money for those payments was supposed to have been placed into trust accounts.

"We want you all to know that after failing to receive satisfactory answers regarding the holding companies' financial status, and in the interest of protecting those dependent on receipt of funds . . . we have contacted the authorities and requested an investigation," said the messages, which The...