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Attorneys Representing Families with Lost Eggs or Embryos Several fertility clinics around the country have experienced freezer malfunctions, leading to the loss of thousands of patients’ eggs and embryos. The loss of eggs and embryos is devasting for families wishing to conceive a child. Clinics with freezer malfunctions have taken away some people’s only […]
Several fertility clinics around the country have experienced freezer malfunctions, leading to the loss of thousands of patients’ eggs and embryos. The loss of eggs and embryos is devasting for families wishing to conceive a child. Clinics with freezer malfunctions have taken away some people’s only opportunities to have children, and they need to be held accountable for the pain they have inflicted.
Parker Waichman LLP is taking a stand against these tragic events, and we are reviewing cases on behalf of the men and women affected. We recognize the losses you have suffered, not only emotionally and physically but financially, as well. Our lawyers will fight for you in legal action against the clinics and secure the justice that can help you begin to move forward.
If you underwent a freezing procedure and lost your eggs or embryos in a clinic freezer malfunction or storage or transport error, contact our offices today. One of our compassionate attorneys will listen to the details of your claim and help you understand your legal options in a no-cost case consultation.
Freezing of eggs and embryos has progressively become more common, as women choose to wait until later in life to have children. In many cases, women turn to fertility clinics in the face of medical conditions and procedures that will render them unable to continue producing viable eggs. The process of extracting and freezing eggs is invasive and laborious, and many women and couples spend thousands of dollars for the opportunity to prolong or maintain their abilities to have biological children.
Most clinics provide freezing services starting in the range of $6,000 to $10,000, and patients also pay annual fees for the continued storage of their eggs and embryos. These annual stores fees can cost hundreds of dollars. Patients pay these prices trusting that their eggs and embryos will be safely maintained and ready for them when they are ready to start or expand their families.
Individual stories of women and couples losing eggs and embryos have long been told, but recently, clinics have experienced freezer malfunctions resulting in mass loss of patients’ eggs and embryos. Thousands of patients have been affected, and they are looking for answers about the steps these clinics did or did not take to protect their eggs and embryos.
Two clinics in the United States recently informed patients that their eggs or embryos were likely damaged in cryo-freezer failures involving lack of liquid nitrogen. Though unrelated, the two clinics’ incidents oddly occurred on the same day.
On March 4, 2018, a freezer storage tank at a fertility clinic of University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, failed when its liquid nitrogen levels fell too low. The tank was outfitted with an alarm that was supposed to alert someone if the tank experienced a drop-in temperature, but for reasons unknown, the alarm was turned off.
The subject tank needed maintenance because a mechanism that automatically replenished liquid nitrogen was not functioning properly. While waiting for maintenance on the tank, staff members at the fertility clinic were refilling the liquid nitrogen manually. Someone refilled the tank on Friday, March 2, and someone supposedly checked the tanks on Saturday, March 3. But by Sunday, March 4, the tank’s nitrogen had depleted well past appropriate levels.
According to the most current correspondence from the clinic, it is likely that all eggs and embryos in the tank — which could total around 4,000 — were damaged beyond viability. The clinic informed patients and offered to refund storage fees and provide emotional and medical support, including free in vitro fertilization (IVF), to affected patients. Approximately 700 patients had eggs or embryos stored in the failed tank.
On the same weekend in March, the Pacific Fertility Clinic of San Francisco, California, also experienced a tank failure related to loss of liquid nitrogen. This clinic has provided far less information concerning the circumstances of the incident, saying the laboratory director discovered the low level of nitrogen during in a routine check.
Pacific Clinic has vaguely said that the freezer tank housed thousands of eggs and embryos — representing as much as 15 percent of the total storage at the facility — and it does not yet know how many might still be viable. Approximately 400 patients had eggs or embryos stored in the affected tank. The clinic has not indicated how it intends to help patients with lost eggs and embryos, only saying it would make its patients happy one way or another.
Particularly for patients who have not been provided information about the status of their stored eggs and embryos, people in clinic failure situations deserve answers and restitution. Simple repayment of storage fees is not enough for people who have spent thousands on their freezing procedures, undergone intense and painful processes, and ultimately lost their chances of having biological children.
In the face of extraordinary loss, affected patients are filing lawsuits against the clinics that failed to protect their eggs and embryos. In May 2018, a federal judge in California consolidated three putative class actions against Pacific Fertility Clinic. Because so many individuals and couples have suffered injuries from the negligence of these clinics, they are banding together to seek justice.
Parker Waichman LLP is taking new cases on behalf of people who lost eggs or embryos at these two clinics, or any other clinic in the United States, because of freezing malfunctions, tank failures, storage errors, or transport errors. If you entrusted your eggs or embryos to a clinic and felt betrayed by your loss, we can help you hold the clinic accountable. These errors are unacceptable, and we recognize how your loss has affected your life.
Contact our fertility clinic freezer malfunction lawsuit attorneys today to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys. We review cases with zero up-front costs to clients, and we only contract cases using contingency fees. We know you have suffered financially because of the clinic’s negligence, and we do not want legal costs to be a barrier to your pursuit of justice. When you work with Parker Waichman, you are protected in the event your case does not settle or result in a favorable verdict. In these situations, you will not owe us a penny.
Parker Waichman LLP is a national law firm with decades of experience helping suffering families across the country. Even if you do not live near our law offices, we can help you with your legal needs. Allow our award-winning attorneys to review your case and begin working toward the resolution you deserve.
Time is limited to file a case, based on statutes of limitations in place in all states. Do not delay in hiring an fertility clinic lawsuit attorney to provide you legal guidance. You can schedule your free consultation with Parker Waichman LLP today by calling 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529) or by filling out the Contact Form on our website.