Deadline Approaches For Cases Against University Hospitals Fertility Clinic

It’s been almost two years since a storage tank at University Hospitals failed, causing damage to nearly 4,000 eggs and embryos inside.

The second anniversary of the incident will be March 4, which is also the deadline for people whose embryos were affected to file lawsuits.

Law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane filed two new cases in Geauga County Wednesday, said attorney Joseph Peiffer.

One case involved a woman who lost nine eggs and does not have children. The second case involves a couple that already had children, but wanted to expand their family. They lost five embryos in the freezer malfunction.

Fertility clinics often see little to no regulation, said Peiffer.

“In many states, your average nail salon is more regulated than a fertility clinic," Peiffer said, who also said he would like to push for federal oversight of the fertility industry.

With only a month left before the filing deadline, families should seek justice, Peiffer said.

“And I think that all the families that are still struggling with what, if anything, they want to do about this, it does not hurt you to get [legal] advice," he said.

An estimated 200 victims are eligible to file lawsuits but have not yet done so, according to Peiffer. About 150 to 200 cases have already been resolved.