North Dakota hospital sued over baby switch at birth 36 years ago
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Two families have filed a lawsuit against a North Dakota hospital, alleging hospital staff mistakenly switched two boys at birth 36 years ago.
The men and their families said in the lawsuit that Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison were the only two babies born on Jan. 26, 1988, at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota, according to KVLY. Christian Unity Hospital Corporation, doing business as Unity Medical Center, was selected as the defendant.
According to the report, the plaintiffs alleged that hospital staff switched the babies and sent them home with the other child’s biological parents. The two men were then raised by each other’s biological families, allegedly without anyone’s knowledge.
The key went undiscovered for more than 36 years, the lawsuit states.
THE CHILD WAS FOUND ALIVE IN THE MORGU AFTER HIS FAMILY WAS DECLARED DEAD
The lawsuit states that Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison were the only two babies born on January 26, 1988, at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota. (Google Maps)
Morrison, who now lives in Colorado, took a DNA test two years ago and learned that the parents who raised him were not his biological parents. Morrison told KKTV that his aunt provided the DNA and that Bylin was a match to her niece. Morrison said he had no cousin.
Morrison told the press that he always felt different from the family he grew up with.
“There was no one in my family who looked like me,” Morrison said. “I was the blonde haired kid who stood out in a family full of brown haired people.”
“I know if I had gone back home with the right parents, I definitely wouldn’t be in Colorado today,” he said. “There I would be, working on the farm with the older brother I never knew I had.”
Both parents have met their biological sons, but the two men have not met each other, according to KKTV.
IT WAS ALLEGED THAT THE DNA ON THE SODA BOTTLE WAS LINKED TO THE MASSACHUSETTS WOMAN’S ‘BABY BOY DOE’ MURDER IN 1985
The key went undiscovered for more than 36 years, the lawsuit states. (Google Maps)
Unity Medical Center denied the allegations and asked the court to dismiss the case on its merits.
According to KVLY, hospital lawyers argued that its staff “possessed and applied appropriate levels of skill and learning” and “exercised reasonable care, judgment and diligence at all times.”
The hospital also argues that the lawsuit may be barred by the statute of limitations, citing “the length of time that has elapsed between the alleged incident and service of this lawsuit.”
The plaintiffs are seeking more than $50,000 in damages and a jury trial.
The hospital also raised comparative fault as a defense, arguing that damages, if any, were attributable to parties other than the hospital.
The hospital also requested a jury trial.
Unity Medical Center denied the allegations. (Getty Images)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
In a statement to KKTV, Unity Medical Center said it was “currently working to better understand a highly unusual case involving two men who were separated from their biological parents at some point in their lives,” adding: “Both men were born at our hospital on the same day in 1988, and we recognize the profound impact this discovery has had on them and their families.”
The statement continued: “Unfortunately, due to the passage of nearly four decades, medical and personnel records that would have provided further clarity are no longer available and no members of the obstetric team remain employed at the hospital since that time.” “While we have deep sympathy for the men and their families, we have found no evidence to support allegations that Unity Medical Center or its staff were responsible for what happened.”
