Jessica Harvey Galloway received a simple gift, a DNA kit, from her parents for Christmas 2020. It has reshaped their lives.
Harvey Galloway and her husband planned a trip to Europe. They wanted to reconnect with distant relatives, and she requested a DNA gift to find their extended family.
The DNA test revealed a shocking truth: Harvey Galloway (29), who was born in 1992, after her mother had undergone a fertilization procedure. She was not related to John Harvey, her biological father. The lawsuit claims that her biological father was a man whose fertilized eggs were used to inseminate Jeanine Harvy without her consent or her husband's permission.
Harvey Galloway stated Wednesday that "since then, our lives has never been the same" during a news conference announcing a lawsuit against Dr. Nicholas Spirtos (a fertility specialist who performed the procedure on Aug. 12, 1991) and Akron-based Summa Health System.
Harvey Galloway stated, "I am still completely disbelief" and will continue to be so.
Spirtos was not available for comment Friday afternoon.
Summa Health System spokeswoman on Friday stated that they were aware of the allegations stemming out of a 1991 procedure.
Mike Bernstein stated that "We take the allegation seriously" and are sensitive to the effects it has on the family. "At this time, we have not met the family nor conducted any testing on our own. We hope that the family attorneys will work with us to make the next step a priority, given the limited information we have and how long it has taken.
Intrauterine insemination was the Harveys' method of inserting sperm into a uterus.
Harvey Galloway claims she discovered the identity of her biological father through extensive research into genealogy records. The lawsuit stated that her biological father, identified as in the suit, and his wife "Were undergoing IVF (in vitro fertilization) with Dr. Spirtos" at Jeanine Harvey's hospital.
The suit states that the Harveys had a clear and stated goal to have a child genetically related to them both. Mrs. Harvey was promised her husband's genetic material for intrauterine fertilization. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Harvey and Mr. Harvey, the defendants used genetic material from a stranger instead.
Jeanine Harvey stated Wednesday that her daughter's Italian heritage was "literally stripped" during Wednesday's news conference. She said the DNA kit had upended their lives.
She said, "It revealed a horror that I could never have imagined."
Jessica Harvey Galloway and her parents reaffirmed their love for each other and stated that DNA tests didn't alter their family's dynamic.
"Jessica is our daughter. Jeanine Harvey stated, with emotion in her voice, that there is no DNA test to change this.
Her husband stated that it was difficult to learn the truth.
He said, "It is difficult as a father and husband to see your family in pain. Especially when that source is something you are unable to fix." It is difficult to understand that you are not living in the reality that you thought. It's almost like being transported into another person's world.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in monetary and civil litigation. It also demands that Summa Health and Spirtos locate Mike Harvey's genetic material and account for its location.
