Fertility Fraud Lawsuits

For thousands of couples, the best option for childbirth is through assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Modern medicine has been described as miraculous for many women who would not naturally be able to conceive a child. As a result, the IVF industry has grown into a massive, billion-dollar race to capture consumer demand. But the process has also been marred by unsafe practices, negligent behavior and fraud. 

The incentives for doctors to promise success are obvious: to drum up more and more business. But there is too much at stake in these cases to deceive patients, as some physicians have in the past. 

Thus, our fertility fraud lawyers are reviewing hundreds of cases that involve embryo loss, lab contamination, mixed up patient materials, and deceptive marketing. 

What is Fertility Fraud?

Fertility fraud can take the form of various abuses and misuses of genetic material and assisted reproductive technology (ART). Because there have been little legal recourse for many fertility fraud victims for IVF Malpractice and other negligent practices, many unethical physicians and specialists have taken advantage of consumers.

Couples who seek artificial reproductive technologies (ART) have generally attempted to conceive without success, and turn to a clinic as the last resort. Recent investigations into nationwide fertility fraud have found that most states actually have no laws against such consumer abuses. Doctors who engage in illegal or irregular fertility practices have rarely faced serious consequences, continue practicing, and may feel like they have immunity in the eyes of the law.

Because the problem has been so widespread, however, lawmakers have finally passed bills that protect consumers, IVF patients and fertility fraud victims in many states. Examples of fertility clinic fraud can include the following:

• False advertising: clinics often inflate success rates 
• Misrepresentation of the source of reproductive material used in insemination
• Misrepresentation of how reproductive material will be used
• Concealing the risks, benefits and costs associated with IVF or other procedures
• Theft or misuse of donor eggs and embryos
• Contaminated materials
• Misrepresented test results
• Donor was not properly screened or the profile information is inaccurate
• Pressuring clients to continue the process even after complications arise
• Physicians concealing an infection or injury
• Prescribing unnecessary medications
• Offering unproven and costly add-on treatments
• False pregnancy reports
• Sperm improperly screened for potential genetic diseases

The most high-profile fraud claims have involved doctors who actually used their own sperm to inseminate a patient. These cases are quite rare, but they have occurred in more than one instance.