Ireland Owens, DCNF
Two families have filed a lawsuit against a North Dakota hospital after a man alleged he and another man were mistakenly switched at birth more than three decades ago.
Jeremy Morrison underwent a DNA test two years ago and discovered that his parents were not actually his biological parents, CBS News reported on Wednesday.
“I know I definitely wouldn’t be here in Colorado today if I went home with the right parents,” Morrison told KKTV 11 News on Tuesday. “I would have been working the farm with my older brother that I never knew I had.”
“I believe we were the only babies born that day,” Morrison told KKTV 11 News.
Morrison, Bylin and their parents have filed a lawsuit against Unity Medical Center, alleging the hospital switched the two men at birth, according to KKTV 11 News. However, the hospital is denying the allegations, the outlet reported, citing litigation records.
“Unity Medical Center has been honored to serve the people of this region for more than 100 years,” a Unity Medical Center spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement on Thursday. “Throughout that time, our commitment has remained the same, to provide compassionate, high-quality care while keeping the well-being of our patients and their families at the center of everything we do.”
“We are currently working to better understand a highly unusual situation involving two men who apparently were separated from their biological parents at some point during their lives,” the spokesperson continued. “Both men were born at our hospital on the same day in 1988, and we recognize the profound impact this discovery has had on them and their families.”
“Unfortunately, because of the passage of nearly four decades, the medical and staffing records that might have provided additional clarity no longer exist, and no members of the delivery team from that time are still employed by the hospital,” the spokesperson said. “While we deeply sympathize with the men and their families, we have found no evidence to support claims that Unity Medical Center or its staff were responsible for what occurred. As caregivers, our hearts go out to both men and to everyone affected by this difficult situation. We can only imagine the range of emotions they and their loved ones are experiencing.”
Unity Medical Center’s attorneys have maintained its staff “possessed and exercised the appropriate degree of skill and learning” and “at all times used reasonable care, judgment, and diligence,” KPTV reported.
“Me and Kyle didn’t grow up in the same area; we couldn’t have gotten switched at daycare or anything like that,” Morrison told KKTV 11 News.
“If you feel like you look different than everyone else, there might be a reason for it,” he added.
Each set of parents has met their biological sons, but Morrison and Bylin have yet to meet one another, KKTV 11 News reported.
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