US woman sues IVF clinic after giving birth to another couple’s child

An error in an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure led Krystena Murray to carry someone else’s biological child. Now, she has sued the clinic for the mix-up, saying it caused her emotional and physical pain.

Murray has alleged in a statement that she will never be able to recover from this incident.

Krystena Murray IVF case: What happened

In 2023, Murray became pregnant after she underwent IVF treatment at the Coastal Fertility clinic. Though both and the sperm donor were white, the baby she delivered was black.


Murray has claimed that she was unaware there had been a mix-up in the IVF process until she gave birth. A DNA test confirmed that the infant was not biologically hers, Newsweek reported. She had resolved to raise the baby as her own, but kept quiet about the child. The Georgia resident stated that she had faced "awkward and inappropriate comments” when she went out in public with the kid.

According to Murray’s lawsuit, she notified the clinic about their error to ensure this situation does not happen again. She also wanted to make the child’s biological parents aware about the error. The couple filed for custody and Murray had to give up the kid to avoid a legal battle.

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Murray’s lawsuit

The woman has sued for monetary damages in excess of $75,000 and other damages. She has asked for a jury trial. In her statement, Murray claimed that the incident turned her into “unwitting surrogate” against her consent. She also described the pain of having to give up the child.

IVF clinic responds

In a statement to the BBC, the Coastal Fertility clinic acknowledged their mistake and said it was an “isolated incident”. Apologising for the pain they had caused, the clinic stated that they had put additional safeguards in place to ensure that another such event does not happen.

Cases against IVF mix-ups

Murray is not the first person to report an error in IVF procedures or seek damages. According to CBS, several such cases have been reported recently. In 2023, a Texas couple sued a fertility clinic for using the wrong sperm in their IVF procedure. A New York couple complained that a fertility centre gave their embryo to another customer, who later gave birth to their son as well as another couple’s baby.

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FAQs

What is IVF?
It is a medical procedure wherein a woman's eggs are fertilised by sperm in a lab before being implanted into a uterus.

How much is Murray seeking in damages?
She has claimed $75,000 plus other damages.