(Cleveland) - The law firm Peiffer Rosca Wolf has filed suit in Cuyahoga County, on behalf of a Pennsylvania couple and others affected, by the destruction of eggs and embryos at University Hospitals of Cleveland.
PRW attorney Adam Wolf says couples that entrusted eggs/embryos for storage did so often after having exhausted other avenues to have a child.
Wolf maintains, in some cases, individuals and couples store eggs at an early age in anticipation of starting a family later in life.
Attorney Lydia Floyd says other cases, families with modest means went deeply into debt in order to finance fertilization procedures (which often must be repeated) and to pay for short- or long-term egg/embryo storage.
Floyd contends for many older individuals and couples, a stored egg or embryo may be their only hope for giving birth with lower risks of serious conditions.Wolf and Floyd have not announced a dollar amount for damages, and claim their main motivation is to make sure this never happens again.
They admit the effected families should be compensated for their loss. On March 8th, University Hospitals (UH) Ahuja Medical Center publicly announced the potential destruction of up to 2,000 eggs and embryos held in an on-site storage tank at the UH Fertility Center.
The eggs and embryos were being stored for in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. The UH Fertility Center took public responsibility for the losses and indicated it was notifying up to 700 individuals and couples that may have suffered devastating personal losses.
PRW has handled multiple cases involving eggs/embryos damaged or lost during the storage or transfer process. One such case brought by PRW is being heard this week in Orange County in California.
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