A Florida woman is suing the Fertility Center of Orlando after allegedly giving birth to a stranger’s child. According to News 6 ClickOrlando, the woman and her husband, referred to as “Jane and John Doe,” filed a lawsuit in the Palm Beach County Circuit Court on January 9, 2026.
The lawsuit alleged that the woman was undergoing IVF treatment fertility centre since March 2025, but ended up getting the wrong embryo implant. This resulted in her giving birth to a child who did not belong to her genetically.
The woman, who was described as “caucasian” in court documents, said that the embryo supposed to be implanted contained her egg and her husband’s sperm. However, in early December 2026, she gave birth to a baby girl, who was described to have the “appearance of a non-caucasian child.”
The couple eventually underwent genetic testing and learned that the baby was not biologically related to either of the parents. The duo then reached out to the clinic to unite the baby girl with her real parents, but did not get any response from the authorities.
😡This Poor Innocent Baby! 😡Couple sues fertility clinic, claiming newborn baby isn’t theirs. Parents said they have bonded with their baby girl, but said the child should be united with her genetic parents. #Florida pic.twitter.com/gXEEvkw46R
— American Crime Stories (@AmericanCrime01) January 21, 2026
“Of equal concern to the Plaintiffs is the obvious possibility that someone else was implanted with one or more of their embryos and is pregnant with or has been pregnant with and is presently parenting one or more of their children,” the lawsuit stated.
“An intensely strong emotional bond was created on the part of John and Jane Doe with the unborn child Jane Doe carried during the nine months of her pregnancy, and despite the certain knowledge that Baby Doe is not their genetically matched child, the emotional bond grows stronger every minute of every day that Baby Doe remains in their care,” it further added.
The lawsuit also clarified that the couple will continue to care for the infant but mentioned that she “should legally and morally be united with her genetic parents so long as they are fit, able, and willing to take her.”
Speaking to News 6 ClickOrlando, an attorney for the pair said, “The heartbreaking and unexplained in vitro fertilization errors described in our recently filed lawsuit remain unresolved.”
“While our clients continue to fall more deeply in love with a beautiful little girl who is someone else’s child, they are also living with the unbearable knowledge that there may be one or more of their own children unknowingly in the care of strangers,” the lawyer continued.
“It is unimaginable how such mistakes could have happened, and it is inexcusable how the doctor and clinic responsible for those mistakes could be running from the consequences of their reckless conduct,” the attorney added.
“It is a mystery why they are refusing to voluntarily cooperate in trying to undo the mess they have created, but that refusal has required us to seek emergency court intervention and may soon require a broad public appeal for help,” the lawyer added.
On January 22, 2026, the Fertility Center of Orlando officially took to Facebook to issue a statement addressing the situation. “We are actively cooperating with an investigation to support one of our patients in determining the source of an error that resulted in the birth of a child who is not genetically related to them,” they stated.
“Multiple entities are involved in this process, and all parties are working diligently to help identify when and where the error may have occurred. Our priority remains transparency and the well-being of the patient and child involved. We will continue to assist in any way that we can, regardless of the outcome of the investigation,” the statement added.
