An Ohio couple who lost both their frozen embryos when a fertility clinic's storage tank overheated last week are the first in a wave of patients heading to court to hold the facility accountable for dashing their dreams of future children.
Two Cleveland attorneys said they have been inundated in the days since the University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center's Fertility Center disclosed late last week that it was notifying 700 patients that their eggs or embryos may have been damaged. The tissue was in a tank that lost liquid nitrogen, which is vital for temperature control.
A second clinic, the Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco, disclosed to The Washington Post on Sunday that it also had suffered a malfunction last week in a steel tank where hundreds of patients' eggs and embryos were stored. Members of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys said Monday that they were not aware of legal action against the California clinic but expected filings soon.
The impulse of couples to translate their anger or grief into legal action represents a new consumer...