Parents Say NJ Clinic Got Mother Pregnant With Wrong Sperm

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — When all is said and done, they love their daughter, and that won’t change. But a New Jersey couple is looking for a major policy revamp – and financial compensation – from a fertility clinic they say gave them the wrong sperm.

The Verona residents, who have since divorced, are accusing the Livingston-based Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas of botching their $500,000 artificial insemination process, which took place in 2012, NJ.com reported.

The parents, who are white, said they first became aware of the alleged mix-up when their daughter began to develop “Asian” features. After taking a DNA test, they learned the father – whose sperm was supposed to be used in the fertilization process – is not their child’s biological parent.

They later divorced, citing the incident as one of the major reasons for the separation, NJ.com reported.

Last month, an Essex County judge ordered the clinic to turn over several pieces of information to the enraged parents, including the list of potential sperm donors.

On Wednesday, David Mazie of Mazie, Slater, Katz & Freeman in Roseland, spoke with Patch about the lawsuit.

Mazie said that his clients love their child regardless of the outcome of the case. “She’s their daughter,” he emphasized.

However, every person has the right to have a child using their own genes, he said.

“We’re looking for this to never happen to anyone again,” Mazie said, adding that his clients are seeking sweeping changes to the clinic’s procedures as well as monetary damages.

Mazie said last month's court order entitles his clients to several pieces of information, including the identities of staff members who were present during the fertilization process. The parents are also entitled to the names of possible sperm donors, which will enable their daughter to learn about possible genetic or medical disorders she may be at risk for.

A spokesperson for Saint Barnabas Medical Center, a RWJBarnabas Health facility, said the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science (IRMS) is a separate medical practice from Saint Barnabas. She added that the matter involves a private group in litigation, and RWJBH does not comment on matters in litigation.

Ronn Torossian, a spokesperson for IRMS, confirmed the clinic is not part of Saint Barnabas. The facility is privately held, he said.

Torossian offered Patch the following statement about the allegations late Wednesday evening:

"We are an organization comprised of passionate, dedicated medical professionals whose singular mission is to help our patients build their families. The integrity of our treatment processes are paramount and we are taking this matter very seriously. As such, we are thoroughly examining the alleged incident, which is said to have occurred in 2012. As patient privacy is core to what we do, we do not comment specifically on individual patient matters."

IRMS spokespeople also challenged the $500,000 in medical expenses the parents allegedly spent at the clinic, which they said is "probably closer to 10 percent" of that figure.

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