“This is gonna affect us for the rest of our lives,” Natalie Strong said of the alleged mix-up
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NEED TO KNOW
- Florida residents Natalie and Josh Strong are suing Brown Fertility Clinic in Jacksonville, alleging the clinic used the wrong man’s sperm to conceive their daughter during their IVF journey
- The couple became suspicious after their child’s blood type did not match what was genetically possible for them, and a DNA test later showed Josh was not her biological father
- The Strongs said the clinic has not responded to their claims
A Florida couple who conceived a child through IVF is suing a fertility clinic, alleging the clinic used the wrong man’s sperm.
Natalie and Josh Strong filed a medical negligence suit in Duval County against Brown Fertility Clinic in Jacksonville and multiple clinic staff members on Sept. 17, according to public Duval County court records viewed by PEOPLE.
In a press conference held by the couple and their attorneys the day of the filing, Natalie said that she delivered a healthy baby girl in the spring of 2025, per NBC Miami and CBS New York.
However, she claimed she and her husband soon became aware that something was not right after routine blood work revealed that their baby had a B-positive blood type — something which is not possible given her O-negative blood type and her husband’s A-negative blood.
She said her husband, a medical professional, immediately knew something was wrong.
“Josh is a nurse, so immediately he said, ‘Well, how does that correlate?’ ” Natalie said, per NBC Miami.
“And no one could figure it out. We tested her blood type again, and then we even [were] like, ‘Well, maybe one of our blood types is wrong’ from when he was in the military,” she continued. “So we tested his again and mine, and everyone was correct. So there was absolutely no chance that Ava should be B-positive with two negative blood types.”
A DNA test later revealed that Josh was not the baby’s biological father.
Brown Fertility Clinic did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“We are devastated. I mean, this is gonna affect us for the rest of our lives. We gotta figure out how we’re gonna tell [our child] one day, and it took away the euphoria of having a baby,” Natalie said, per NBC Miami.
The couple said they have received no response from the fertility clinic regarding the alleged life-changing mix-up.
Josh said that he and Natalie continue to work through their complicated emotions surrounding the difficult situation.
“You do have sadness and anger, and in the same day you also have joy and love. It’s just a lot to deal with, but we love her very much,” he told NBC Miami.
“The emotional consequences are almost impossible to describe,” the couple’s attorney, Benjamin Ikuta of Fertility Law Group, said in a statement to PEOPLE.
“Joshua was deprived of the biological fatherhood he endured surgery [for] and paid the clinic to achieve. Natalie has had to confront the fact that an unknown man’s genetic material was used to create a pregnancy inside her body without her knowledge or consent. … These are permanent injuries that no apology or accounting adjustment can undo,” Ikuta continued.
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Ikuta added that the couple brought the case forward “not only to obtain accountability for what was done to them, but also to force answers that could protect other families.”
Rob Marcereau, another Fertility Law Group attorney representing the Strongs, said Brown Fertility has “refused to provide any explanation for what happened. This lawsuit will hold Brown accountable and force them to provide answers.”
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