What to Know
There are few custody cases out there that are ever truly easy — when it comes to coparenting, the situation is almost never cut and dry. But the story that one lawyer on TikTok is telling about her client is really on another level, and now that the video is going viral, people have a lot of opinions about the situation.
It all started when a man and his wife enlisted the help of a surrogate to make their baby dreams come true, and what happened next is straight out of a TV drama.
After the surrogate conceived, the worst happened.
@lauren_thelawyer When the unbelievable becomes reality. Let’s discuss #familylawattorney #attorneysoftiktok #familylawyer #childcustody #storytime ♬ original sound – Is Lauren Your Lawyer?
In this story told by family law attorney @lauren_thelawyer on TikTok, a couple was battling with infertility and being unsuccessful with IVF for years before they finally managed to conceive a child via surrogate. During the months they were expecting their baby, though, the biological mom died in a New Year’s Eve car crash, leaving her husband planning to be a single father after the baby was born.
But once the surrogate caught wind of the accident, she offered to adopt the baby instead of handing her over at birth as they’d previously agreed. Dad was immediately against this idea, but at this point, it sounds like the surrogate didn’t actually care.
After the due date got closer, the surrogate disappeared.
The surrogate “falls off the face of the earth,” and the dad was basically powerless at that point, because the police told him that it wasn’t a criminal kidnapping — it was a civil case over the contract he set up with the surrogate.
Eventually, the dad wins a case against the surrogacy agency, but it does nothing to return his daughter to him after her birth.
He found out about where his daughter is years later.
The story gets even wilder six years after the baby’s birth, when Dad finds out where his daughter is because the surrogate has gotten divorced and is now coming after him, the biological father, for child support. Yes, really.
“Your heart is telling you to walk into that school and get your child — the child that was stolen from you,” she said. “But in reality, this child is six years old and has no idea who you are.”
Now, Dad’s letting the court do its thing and waiting to see how it all plays out.
This story has so many people up in arms.
People shared their thoughts in the comments, and boy, do they have feelings about this.
“Dad should get full custody and surrogate should be sued for breach of contract. Surrogate should also pay for the child’s therapy. This is so sad,” one commenter wrote.
Another pointed out, “As traumatic as it might be for that child, she was effectively kidnapped her entire life. The surrogate is the stranger.”
Fingers crossed that Lauren shares an update on this case when she has one. This is such a heartbreaking situation, but so fascinating.
