A Florida couple is suing a Jacksonville fertility clinic after they say a routine blood test raised questions about their baby’s parentage, eventually leading to a DNA test that allegedly showed the husband was not the child’s biological father. Natalie and Josh Strong filed a medical negligence lawsuit against Brown Fertility Clinic in Duval County, Florida, on September 17, along with multiple clinic staff members, according to public court records viewed by PEOPLE. The couple alleges that the clinic used the wrong man’s sperm during their IVF treatment.
Natalie said she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Ava, in spring 2025. However, according to the couple, concerns emerged after routine blood work showed that their daughter had a B-positive blood type. Natalie is O-negative, while Josh is A-negative. The couple said they were initially unable to understand how their daughter could have a B-positive blood type given their blood types. Josh, who works as a nurse, immediately questioned the result. “Josh is a nurse, so immediately he said, ‘Well, how does that correlate?’” Natalie said, according to NBC Miami. The couple said they repeated the baby’s blood test and also had their own blood types checked again to rule out the possibility of a testing error. “And no one could figure it out. We tested her blood type again, and then we even [were] like, ‘Well, maybe one of our blood types is wrong’ from when he was in the military,” Natalie said. “So we tested his again and mine, and everyone was correct. So there was absolutely no chance that Ava should be B-positive with two negative blood types.”
The couple said a subsequent DNA test revealed that Josh was not Ava’s biological father. According to the lawsuit, the Strongs believe the discrepancy was the result of an alleged error at Brown Fertility Clinic involving the sperm used during their IVF treatment. The allegations have not been established in court. The clinic did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. For Natalie and Josh, the discovery has added complicated emotions to what they expected to be a joyful experience of becoming parents. “We are devastated. I mean, this is gonna affect us for the rest of our lives. We gotta figure out how we’re gonna tell [our child] one day, and it took away the euphoria of having a baby,” Natalie said, according to NBC Miami. The couple said they have not received an explanation from the fertility clinic about what allegedly happened.
Josh said the situation has brought a range of emotions as the couple continues to navigate life with their daughter. “You do have sadness and anger, and in the same day you also have joy and love. It’s just a lot to deal with, but we love her very much,” he told NBC Miami. Their attorney, Benjamin Ikuta of Fertility Law Group, described the alleged consequences of the incident as lasting and significant. “The emotional consequences are almost impossible to describe,” Ikuta said in a statement to the publication. “Joshua was deprived of the biological fatherhood he endured surgery [for] and paid the clinic to achieve. Natalie has had to confront the fact that an unknown man’s genetic material was used to create a pregnancy inside her body without her knowledge or consent. ... These are permanent injuries that no apology or accounting adjustment can undo,” he continued. Ikuta said the couple filed the lawsuit not only seeking accountability but also hoping to obtain answers that could potentially prevent similar incidents from affecting other families.
Rob Marcereau, another Fertility Law Group attorney representing the Strongs, alleged that Brown Fertility Clinic has not provided an explanation for the situation. “Brown Fertility has ‘refused to provide any explanation for what happened. This lawsuit will hold Brown accountable and force them to provide answers,’” Marcereau said. The lawsuit is now proceeding in Duval County. The allegations made by the Strongs and their attorneys remain claims in a pending legal case, and the clinic has not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
