A father was left devastated after discovering that his daughter wasn't biologically his through an at-home DNA test.
Joseph Cartellone and his wife Jennifer, from Delaware Ohio, underwent IVF to conceive their daughter, Rebecca, now 24, in 1994 at The Christ Hospital .
However, they got a crushing shock last Christmas after a home DNA test she'd gifted them suggested that Joseph wasn't her biological dad.
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The test showed that Jennifer didn't have any of her father's genetic makeup, and while they initially thought there had been a mix-up with the kit, a separate paternity test eventually confirmed their worst fears.
A lawsuit against Cincinnati's Institute for Reproductive Health filed on Wednesday claims Rebecca's embryo was created by another man's sperm instead.
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The law firm has added that Rebecca's biological father has now been narrowed down to five people - one of whom was actually a doctor at The Christ Hospital at the time her parents visited.
"We have no idea if this was intentional or a horrifically negligent accident. We've asked but we've been met with radio silence," the family's attorney told the Daily Mail.
According to the complaint, not only do the family not know Rebecca's biological father, but they aren't sure whether Joseph's sperm wasn't used to fertilise another woman's egg.
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The Cartellone family are now suing the hospital and the Institute for Reproductive Health and Ovation Fertility in Cincinnat for negligence and breach of contact, and also seeking damages.
They're hoping that the case will change the US fertility industry for good, and prompt stricter regulations like the UK.
The Christ Hospital told the publication that while they are reviewing the allegations against the hospital they wouldn't comment on the case pending litigation.
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Joseph said on Good Morning America that, as you would expect, the discovery had been "extremely difficult" for his family to swallow.
"My wife Jennifer is still in shock," he added at a news conference about the lawsuit. "She has to deal with the fact that this clinic ... fertilised her eggs with a complete stranger's sperm and placed them in her body.
"She's also faced with a difficult series of emotional challenges and questions.
"She is profoundly disappointed that she no longer can give birth to a child with both of our genetics."
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We feel so sorry for the family!
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