Woman Sues Orlando Fertility Clinic After Giving Birth to Baby That Wasn’t Hers

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Central Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against an Orlando-area fertility clinic after discovering that the baby she gave birth to through in vitro fertilization was not genetically related to her or her husband.

According to the lawsuit, the couple underwent IVF treatment at a fertility clinic in Longwood in early 2025. An embryo was implanted, and the woman later gave birth to a baby girl in December. Shortly after the birth, the couple became concerned when the child’s physical characteristics did not resemble either parent.

Genetic testing later confirmed their fears: the baby was not biologically related to either of them. The lawsuit alleges that the clinic mistakenly implanted the wrong embryo, resulting in the woman carrying and delivering another couple’s biological child.

The couple, identified in court filings as John and Jane Doe, say the discovery has caused severe emotional distress and left them grappling with unimaginable questions — including whether their own biological child may have been implanted into another patient and is now being raised by a different family.

In the complaint, the plaintiffs say they love the baby and have cared for her since birth, but they believe the child ultimately has the right to be reunited with her biological parents if they can be identified. They also argue that the clinic has an obligation to investigate whether other patients may have been affected by similar errors.

The lawsuit seeks emergency court intervention and asks a judge to order the clinic to notify potentially impacted patients, conduct and pay for genetic testing, and disclose any additional embryo mix-ups that may have occurred over several years.

As of this week, the fertility clinic named in the lawsuit has not publicly responded to the allegations. The couple claims their attempts to obtain clear answers directly from the clinic were unsuccessful.

While IVF mix-ups are considered rare, legal experts note that fertility clinics in the United States are not required by federal law to report such incidents, making it difficult to track how often they occur. Similar cases in recent years have raised broader concerns about oversight, recordkeeping, and patient protections in the rapidly growing fertility industry.

The case is expected to move quickly through the courts as the couple seeks answers — not only for themselves, but potentially for other families who trusted the same clinic with their embryos.