TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Two Texas parents are suing a Fort Worth reproductive clinic that they claim fertilized the mother's eggs with the wrong man's sperm.
The complaint, filed Feb. 8 in Tarrant County, states that Camille and Derrick Bryan went to Dr. Robert Kaufmann at Fort Worth Fertility for fertility services.
According to the complaint, the couple had eggs harvested and sperm collected in preparation for in vitro fertilization and, on Jan. 21, 2016, Camille Bryan's eggs were fertilized at a laboratory in or near Kaufmann's office.
The suit further stated that Camille underwent a successful embryo placement two months later, and about nine months later, gave birth to a boy.
In October 2018, the suit added, Camille underwent a second successful embryo transfer and, nine months later, gave birth to a girl.
But three years later, in October 2021, Camille underwent a hysterectomy, and DNA results received in August 2022 showed Derrick was not the biological father of either child, the lawsuit said.
Tommy Hastings, an attorney representing the Bryans, said the couple wants answers.
"This isn't something you can just move on," Hastings said.
Hastings told WFAA that it all sparked from "an offhand comment by a pediatrician who mentioned a birthmark on their son." The pediatrician asked the couple if they had asian heritage, to which they answered no, Hastings said. The pediatrician insisted that someone in the family must be of asian heritage because of their son's birthmark.
That's when the Bryans decided to DNA test their children one by one. The results revealed that Derrick was not their biological father, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims the clinic was negligent in failing to properly fertilize Camille Bryan's eggs with her husband's sperm.
"Specifically, Defendants recklessly, negligently, or intentionally mishandled the sperm and allowed an unknown donor to be used to fertilize Camille’s eggs," the suit reads.
The suit argues that "such an outcome cannot happen without negligence," and that the clinic's actions were "the cause of the injuries and damages" to the Bryans.
Camille, who declined in on-camera interview due to privacy concerns, said that all of her eggs were fertilized at once and then frozen, which explains why, she told WFAA, she believed that both of her children were conceived with the wrong sperm.
"Those are our kids," she added. "We love them no matter what."
According to the complaint, Camille had a hysterectomy after the two births. The procedure was done at Fort Forth Fertility before the Bryans discovered that their children were not biologically Derrick's.
"I think the hardest part for them is realizing that they're never gonna have children together," Hastings said.
The couple is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
WFAA has reached out to the fertility clinic and Dr. Kaufmann for comment on several occasions but did not hear back.
"Is there another family going through this right now? Are there lots of families going through this? We just don’t know," Hastings said.