{"id":639769,"date":"2026-04-30T03:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639769\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T03:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:59:12","slug":"monash-ivf-faces-wrong-embryo-negligence-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639769\/","title":{"rendered":"Monash IVF faces wrong embryo negligence claim"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Grant McArthur\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"64\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/8f40008b3f5ce4ffa8b6e2333d127700462b9f21f1478e02834f50a550837113.png\"  width=\"64\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"article-datetime\" class=\"sc-5cbbddda-5 hxoHkT\">April 30, 2026 \u2014 11:41am<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>AAA<\/p>\n<p>A family involved in an embryo mix-up that saw a <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/link\/follow-20170101-p5lqvv\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Queensland woman give birth to a stranger\u2019s baby <\/a>are suing Monash IVF for negligence.<\/p>\n<p>The couple, who claim they are suffering severe psychological distress as a result of Monash IVF\u2019s errors, are the latest to launch legal action against the fertility giant as a result of the Brisbane bungle.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Monash IVF has reached confidential settlements with families impacted by embryo mix-ups at its Brisbane and Clayton clinics.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9b0fbf441846d01bedda7a13437415ec5c05b038.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>Monash IVF has reached confidential settlements with families impacted by embryo mix-ups at its Brisbane and Clayton clinics.Luis Enrique Ascui<\/p>\n<p>The negligence claim, spelt out in a Supreme Court of Victoria writ, comes weeks after Monash IVF reached a multimillion-dollar confidential settlement with families involved in the Brisbane embryo mix-up, as well as another at its Clayton clinic in Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>That secret settlement saw Monash provide compensation to the birth mother and the biological mother in the Brisbane case.<\/p>\n<p>The latest action involves a third family who were also closely involved in the Brisbane fiasco, but who Monash is yet to settle with.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/victoria\/how-the-most-human-of-errors-led-to-a-woman-giving-birth-to-a-stranger-s-baby-20250620-p5m90l.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"  \" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/51801cd12f4408651ba616e67613962443c3ae41.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This masthead has chosen not to identify the family involved out of respect for their privacy.<\/p>\n<p>Monash IVF declined to speak about the negligence claim, with a spokesperson saying it would not comment on individual cases or matters before the courts.<\/p>\n<p>The blunder, which Monash IVF later blamed on \u201chuman error\u201d, <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/victoria\/how-the-most-human-of-errors-led-to-a-woman-giving-birth-to-a-stranger-s-baby-20250620-p5m90l.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">saw the embryos of two different women mixed up<\/a> in a Brisbane lab, resulting in one woman giving birth to another woman\u2019s biological child.<\/p>\n<p>The mix-up was not discovered until February 2025 \u2013 about a year after the child was born \u2013 when the clinic\u2019s staff noticed a woman had one embryo fewer than had been recorded, and eventually realised it had been transferred to the wrong patient.<\/p>\n<p>Monash IVF in March 2025 commissioned Fiona McLeod, SC, to conduct an independent investigation into the Brisbane error as its share price and reputation tumbled.<\/p>\n<p>But within three months, the company had to expand the review after admitting a different woman had been <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/victoria\/monash-ivf-caught-in-second-embryo-transfer-bungle-20250610-p5m66h.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">implanted with the wrong embryo<\/a> during a procedure at its Clayton clinic on June 5.<\/p>\n<p>Some of that review\u2019s findings were made public in August 2025, with Monash stating there were stark differences in the circumstances between the two cases, though human error was at the heart of both.<\/p>\n<p>Monash IVF said the review found that the two incidents were unrelated, different in nature and had occurred years apart. It also found that both involved non-standard IVF treatment and circumstances that would not typically arise in the majority of procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/victoria\/human-error-blamed-for-monash-ivf-embryo-mix-ups-but-review-details-kept-secret-20250820-p5mobu.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Monash IVF has completed its investigation into two embryo bungles.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5057cc296ce38e8028a64246fbb1d4a521c8118c.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The fertility giant last month confirmed it had reached agreements with two <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/woman-gives-birth-to-stranger-s-baby-after-distressing-ivf-bungle-20250410-p5lqvv.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">families involved the embryo bungle at its Brisbane clinic<\/a> and at least one family involved in the mix-up at its Clayton clinic, which came to light within four months of each other last year.<\/p>\n<p>Those settlements involved confidential payments worth several million dollars to the families affected, sources familiar with the agreements but who cannot speak publicly due to the confidential nature of the settlements revealed to this masthead.<\/p>\n<p>As well as heartbreak for at least three families directly affected by Monash IVF\u2019s errors, the repeated mix-ups distressed thousands of other women undergoing their own procedures and sent shockwaves through the fertility industry, <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/victoria\/monash-ivf-hit-with-conditions-after-melbourne-embryo-mix-up-20251128-p5nj7i.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">forcing an urgent overhaul<\/a> of Australia\u2019s reproductive technology regulation.<\/p>\n<p>It also tarnished the reputation of one of the world\u2019s oldest and most respected fertility businesses, with Monash IVF\u2019s share price initially plummeting and its chief executive officer Michael Knapp <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/victoria\/monash-ivf-chief-resigns-amid-embryo-bungles-20250612-p5m6u3.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">stepping down<\/a> within a fortnight of the revelation of the Clayton error.<\/p>\n<p>The Examine newsletter explains and analyses science with a rigorous focus on the evidence. <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/newsletter-signup?newsletter=examine&amp;utm_source=EditorialArticle&amp;utm_medium=ArticleText&amp;utm_campaign=Newsletters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up to get it each week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 30, 2026 \u2014 11:41am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-639769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}