Fertility clinic to hand over list of sperm donors after white couple gave birth to an Asian baby – Daily Mail

A white New Jersey couple’s family has been ripped apart after they gave birth to an Asian baby due to an alleged mishap at their fertility clinic, according to a lawsuit filed last month. 

Both Kristina (formerly Wasilewski) Koedderich and her now ex-husband, Drew Wasilewski individually filed their lawsuits with the Superior Court of New Jersey in Essex County. 

The Verona, New Jersey, pair claim that they paid $500,000 to the Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas (IRMS) so that they could have a couple together. 

Wasilewski provided a sample of his sperm on November 7, 2012, and the sperm was to be used to fertilize Koedderich’s eggs around November 26 of that year. 

But after giving birth to a girl in July 2013, the couple’s ‘nightmare scenario’ unfolded once they noticed that she was getting Asian featured and had a blood disorder that is associated with Southeast Asian heritage, according to court documents. 

A DNA test would eventually prove to Wasilewski that he wasn’t the father of the young girl. 

In his deposition, Wasilewski shared that he was ‘devastated’ by the news. His ex-wife recalled him crying in her deposition. 

‘He was crying,’ Koedderich said in her deposition, according to NJ.com. ‘I was crying. And I called [IRMS] the next day and asked how — could this be possible? Could this really be possible?’ 

Last month, Superior Court Judge Keith Lynott in Essex County released an order compelling the center to release the names of men and women who used the facility at the same time as the couple. 

The order also demanded that IRMS release the names of those working at facility at the time of the mishap. It specifically asks to note who was supervising lab technician, defendant Melissa Bell, when she processed the man’s sperm sample. 

All Asian men who gave sperm that was thawed out during the time frame have also been asked to be identified by the facility. Defendants were allowed to leave the client’s initials in most cases, except for the man believed to have supplied the sperm for Koedderich’s baby.

Also included is an order asking for all documents related to policies and procedures when conducting the various steps of insemination. 

Lastly, the order also asks to name all the possible women clients that could have had their eggs fertilized by Wasilewski. 

The ex-couple is being represented by Mazie, SLater, Katz & Freeman. Their lawsuit names IRMS, Dr. John Garrisi, Dr. Natalie Cekleniak and numerous John Does as the defendant. 

They are seeking damages and have also indicated that the negligence shown from the center ultimately led them on a path to divorce. 

‘What happened to the father’s sperm that he doesn’t know about?’ said the Plaintiffs’ lawyer, David Mazie. ‘This little girl is entitled to know her genetic history. She’s entitled to know if there were any medical disorders.’ 

Mazie added that Wasilewski was keen on learning if he had any children, a sentiment the man shared in his deposition. 

‘I would very much like to be involved,’ he said. ‘I think, as children, you want to know who — who and where you came from. And — I believe I’m a very good person. And I’d like them to know who I am, as a person, learn about me as much as I learned about my mother and father…’   

Koedderich’s social media indicates that she has two children.