In a shocking and heartbreaking fertility-clinic mixup, a Queens couple has settled their lawsuit against the Cha Fertility Clinic in California. The Flushing husband and wife, identified in court papers only as Y.Z. and A.P., had undergone treatment at the clinic in 2018, investing a substantial sum of $100,000. The treatment resulted in the creation of eight embryos and a successful pregnancy for A.P. However, the couple soon discovered that they had become unwitting surrogates for two California families.

The unimaginable mishap occurred when the clinic mistakenly implanted two male embryos from different families into A.P. instead of the twin girls they were expecting. The mistake was initially dismissed by Cha Fertility doctors, who claimed that the ultrasounds revealing the mixup were mistaken. One physician, Joshua Berger, even cited his own wife's experience of being told she was having a boy during an ultrasound, only to later give birth to a girl.

The truth of the mixup was finally confirmed when A.P. gave birth in March 2019 to healthy twin boys, who were not of Asian descent like their parents. Devastated by the turn of events, the couple was forced to give up the newborns to their respective biological parents, including Anni and Ashot Manukyan, who named their son Alec.

Y.Z., heartbroken and embarrassed, had kept the incident a secret from most of their friends and relatives. In their July 2019 lawsuit, the couple explained that they "could not find the courage and the way to tell others about their devastating loss." The case was initially filed in Brooklyn Federal Court but was later moved to California Federal Court.

This week, both the couple and the clinic filed paperwork notifying the judge that they had reached a settlement for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which is yet to be finalized, comes after a previous settlement in October with physician Joshua Berger for $200,000. The couple's attorney, Dae Lee, acknowledged that it has been a long and difficult journey for his clients, stating, "It's still a very touchy subject for them."

The New York City couple's ordeal is not an isolated incident. Anni and Ashot Manukyan, one of the other couples whose baby was unknowingly birthed by the New York City mother, also filed a federal lawsuit in 2019, claiming that the clinic had put them through "living hell." Their case was dismissed in March 2020 after reaching a tentative settlement.

The settlement reached by the Queens couple brings some closure to their traumatic experience. However, they still have no information about the fate of their own embryos. The emotional toll of this fertility-clinic mixup is immeasurable, leaving the couple scarred and struggling to come to terms with their devastating loss.