Florida Couple Sues Fertility Clinic Alleging Wrong Sperm Used in IVF
A lawsuit claims a routine newborn blood test revealed a blood type impossible for the intended parents, leading to the discovery that the father is not biologically related to the child.
A Florida couple has filed a negligence lawsuit against their fertility doctor and clinic, alleging that the wrong sperm was used to create their child through in vitro fertilization. Natalie and Joshua Strong, ages 36 and 53 respectively, claim that a routine blood test on their infant daughter revealed a blood type that was biologically impossible for them to have conceived together.
According to the lawsuit filed on Thursday, Natalie's blood type is O Negative and Joshua's is A Negative. Their daughter, however, has a B-positive blood type. The couple asserts that this discrepancy could only have occurred if the clinic, Brown Fertility Associates in Jacksonville, used the wrong sperm to fertilize the embryo.
The lawsuit states that Natalie is the biological mother of the child, but genetic testing confirmed Joshua is not the biological father. "There is only one possible conclusion: Brown Fertility used the wrong sperm," the court filing reads. Joshua had undergone a vasectomy and subsequently a painful sperm retrieval procedure for the IVF process, the couple's attorney, Rob Marcereau of the Fertility Law Group, told the Daily Mail.
The Strongs claim they paid "tens of thousands of dollars" for fertility treatments with the expectation of having biological children together. The couple reported that after the first embryo transfer resulted in a miscarriage, the second transfer, using an embryo created through the contentious IVF process, was carried to term. The baby was born on June 5, 2025.
Natalie described the discovery as shattering their "newborn bliss" and creating ongoing emotional struggles. "It's a daily struggle with, you know, the sadness and anger, and in the same day you also have joy and love," Joshua added.
The couple is seeking $50,000 in damages and an accounting of Joshua's sperm, expressing a desire to ensure it was not used elsewhere. Marcereau stated that the lawsuit aims to hold the clinic accountable and to prevent other families from experiencing a similar situation. The Daily Mail reported that they contacted Brown Fertility and Dr. Samuel Brown for comment.