Peiffer Wolf: $15 Million Award From Jury in Embryo-Destruction Case May Be First of Its Kind, Will Guide Handling of Hundreds of Other Victims

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the wake of a jury decision in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California today, five victims of the large-scale destruction of embryos and eggs at the Pacific Fertility Center in 2018 were awarded $14.975 million, including $14 million for emotional damages. Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway (Peiffer Wolf), which is handling the cases of more than 100 Pacific Fertility Center victims, welcomed the jury award and said it would pave the way for justice for many others.

In the last seven years, Peiffer Wolf has handled hundreds of IVF/genetic material cases that have involved well over 1,000 people. In 2019, the firm spearheaded the Peiffer Wolf push for national legislation to rein in the abuses of IVF and fertility clinics.

Peiffer Wolf attorney Adam Wolf, a leading U.S. attorney handling fertility, IVF, and related genetic material lawsuits, issued the following statement this afternoon:

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"To our knowledge, this is the first jury award for a case involving the destruction of embryos and eggs. These families have suffered an unspeakable loss and still struggle every day with the tragedy that took place more than three years ago at Pacific Fertility Center. The jury's decision to hold Chart, the tank manufacturer, accountable for this tragedy is a historic step in the right direction."

"There are about 200 other Pacific Fertility Center victims who are awaiting their day in court or in arbitration proceedings. Today's jury award should send a statement to tank manufacturers and fertility clinics around the country. What these families lost is priceless and irreplaceable. Today's jury award honors the pain and suffering that these families have gone through and are still going through. This award will not make them whole, but it will help them start to put their lives back together."

"We will work tirelessly to make sure that all of the victims of this tragedy receive the justice they deserve. Chart, Pacific Fertility Center, and all other responsible parties must be held fully accountable for their actions that destroyed our clients' eggs and embryos."

Wolf noted that the U.S. fertility industry has fewer regulations than barber shops or nail salons. Without common-sense regulation, the "Wild West" nature of the multibillion-dollar fertility industry leaves the door open for instances of fertility fraud and other fertility clinic disasters, like those recently experienced in Cleveland and San Francisco.

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In August 2019, Peiffer Wolf published The Fertility Center Regulation Crisis in the U.S., a report calling on Congress to impose a system of tight and highly transparent IVF clinic oversight. In addition to identifying several glaring weaknesses and the general lack of regulatory oversight of the IVF/fertility centers in the U.S., the Peiffer Wolf report identified the much tougher government standards in the United Kingdom as an excellent model for this nation.

ABOUT PEIFFER WOLF CARR KANE & CONWAY

The law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway maintains offices in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, St. Louis, Austin, and New Orleans. In addition to handling numerous fertility fraud cases, Peiffer Wolf has handled a multitude of cases in which medical professionals and facilities were accused of either destroying or losing eggs, embryos, and other genetic material.
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