A class action lawsuit has been filed by parents-in-waiting and women hired to be their surrogate mothers, alleging that Surrogenesis USA and its escrow company, Michael Charles Independent Financial Holding Group breached their contracts and committed fraud.
The suit alleges that the Modesto-based surrogacy agency received as much as $100,000 from couples in exchange for assistance in finding surrogate mothers. There are reportedly hundreds of thousands of dollars unaccounted for at this point. One instance involves a couple who said they paid Surrogenesis $90,000 a week before the company closed its doors and were provided with no services whatsoever.
Some couples had saved for years in order to pursue their dream of having a child, and couple in Chicago are reportedly owed $22,000 from the agency which was money left over from 3 failed in vitro fertilization attempts.
Additionally, it is reported that some surrogates stopped receiving checks midway through their pregnancies.
In addition to the lawsuit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is also planning an investigation into consumer complaints about this company.
