A North Dakota hospital has been sued for switching a baby at birth 36 years ago
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Two families are suing a North Dakota hospital, alleging that hospital staff mistakenly switched two baby boys at birth more than 36 years ago.
Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison were the only children born at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota, on Jan. 26, 1988, the men and their families said in the lawsuit, according to KVLY. Christian Unity Hospital Corporation, doing business as Unity Medical Center, is named as the defendant.
The plaintiffs alleged that the hospital staff changed the children and sent them back home with the birth parents of another child, the newspaper reported. The two men were then brought up by foster families, allegedly unknown to anyone.
The lawsuit says the replacement was not found for more than 36 years.
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Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison were only children born at Unity Medical Center in Grafton, North Dakota, on January 26, 1988, the lawsuit says. (Google Maps)
Two years ago, Morrison, who now lives in Colorado, did a DNA test and discovered that her adoptive parents were not her biological parents. Morrison told KKTV that her aunt provided the DNA, and Bylin matched her niece. Morrison said he has no cousins.
Morrison told the outlet that she always felt different from the family she grew up with.
“I didn't have anyone like me in my family,” Morrison said. “I was that brown-haired kid who stood out in a family full of brown-haired people.”
“I know I wouldn't be here in Colorado today if I went home to the right parents,” she said. “I was working on the farm with my older brother who I didn't know I had.”
Both sets of parents met their biological sons, but the two men had never seen each other, according to KKTV.
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The lawsuit says the replacement was not found for more than 36 years. (Google Maps)
Unity Medical Center denied the allegations and asked the court to dismiss them with prejudice.
The hospital's attorneys asserted that its employees are “competent and exercise an appropriate level of skill and training” and “at all times exercise reasonable care, judgment, and diligence,” according to KVLY.
The hospital also says the lawsuit may be barred by the statute of limitations, which specifies “the length of time that has elapsed between the alleged incident and the service of this lawsuit.”
The plaintiffs are seeking more than $50,000 in damages and have requested a jury trial.
The hospital also raised comparable fault as a defense, saying the damages, if any, could have been caused by parties outside the hospital.
The hospital also demanded a jury trial.
Unity Medical Center denied the allegations. (Getty Images)
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In a statement sent to KKTV, Unity Medical Center said it is “currently working to better understand a very unusual situation involving two men who were apparently separated from their birth parents at some point in their lives,” adding: “Both men were born in our hospital on the same day in 1988, and we see the profound impact this discovery has had on them and their families.”
“Unfortunately, due to the passage of almost four decades, medical and staff records that might have provided more clarity are no longer available, and no members of the obstetric team from that time are still employed at the hospital,” the statement continued. “While we sympathize with these men and their families, we have found no evidence to support the allegations that Unity Medical Center or its employees are responsible for this.”
