Los Angeles couples sue CooperSurgical, allege solution killed embryos

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two Los Angeles couples are suing CooperSurgical after they claim the fertility company produced a solution that killed their embryos. The attorney for the couples say they were trying to have children.

The couples' hopes and dreams of having a baby were dashed after their embryos came in contact with a solution meant to help the embryos thrive, according to a lawsuit filed in L.A. County Superior Court.

"Their embryos suddenly stopped growing or became nonviable just shortly after they were created," attorney Adam Wolf said. "Their fertility doctors were very surprised by these highly unusual results. They investigated and learned that CooperSurgical's embryo culture solution killed the embryos."

Wolf represents the couples in the lawsuits against CooperSurgical, alleging the medical company was negligent when it sold the defective embryo culture media used during IVF treatments.

"The embryo culture solution is what is used to cultivate the embryos, to help make them grow," Wolf said.

In December, CooperSurgical issued a recall notice warning its Global Media solution "impaired embryo development prior to the blastocyst stage."

Wolf claims his clients underwent IVF in November of 2023 when they had multiple eggs extracted, fertilized and embryos placed in the embryo culture solution.

"We do know that CooperSurgical recalled at least three lots of its embryo culture media, and it appears that the company intentionally did not more broadly disseminate notice of the recall blots and has failed to indicate the scale of this disaster," Wolf said.

The lawsuit alleges at least one of couples lost all but one of their embryos, which was later deemed unviable and as a result they lost the ability to have a biological child.

In response to Eyewitness News, CooperSurgical issued the following statement:

"While we cannot address ongoing litigation, quality and compliance are fundamental parts of the value we provide to our customers and are our core focus. In accordance with the requirements of our quality management system, a media recall was initiated to proactively address any possible issue with our products while we continue to investigate."

Wolf believes there could hundreds if not thousands of others whose fertility journey was impacted by CooperSurgical.