A Cleveland couple alleges the University Hospitals fertility center destroyed embryos it held two years ago, and the hospital has now confirmed the incident took place.
The allegations set forth in a lawsuit filed this week claim the center also allowed embryos from the couple to be destroyed, along with thousands of others during the yet-to-be-explained breakdown at UH’s fertility center earlier this month.
Gina and George Latcheran of Cleveland say the center experienced an “incubator malfunction” in March 2016 that destroyed nine of 12 embryos stored there. Three remaining embryos, initially thought to have survived, also failed.
Lawsuit accusing UH of previous failure in 2016 by WKYC.com on Scribd
Gina later transferred 10 more embryos in the summer of 2016. Two of those embryos allowed for the birth of two daughters. The remaining eight embryos remained at UH with the goal of being implanted in 2018.
The couple learned this month that those remaining embryos were likely destroyed during the recent malfunction.
In a statement issued to WKYC, University Hospitals confirmed the 2016 incident, saying:
In March of 2016, one of our incubators lost power. Approximately five patients were affected, and we worked with each of them to find the best solution possible to help them move forward. It’s our policy not to comment on pending litigation, including this most recent case, but we feel it is important to note that the event in 2016 is not in any way related to the storage tank incident we now are investigating. We remain committed first and foremost to do what is best for our patients.