Who are Alexander and Daphna Cardinale? California couple sues clinic over IVF swap 

California couple Alexander and Daphna Cardinale have filed a lawsuit against the California Centre for Reproductive Health, an L.A.-based fertility clinic, over a near-impossible IVF swap incident with another couple from Los Angeles.

In 2019, both the mothers unknowingly gave birth to each other’s children and the families went on to raise a stranger’s child. However, the Cardinales had a suspicion about their child’s heritage based on her appearance.

Following a DNA test, the couple realized they were not the biological parents of the newborn and contacted her real parents through an enquiry at the clinic. The families swapped their biological children earlier this year when the babies turned four months old.

However, Alexander and Daphna Cardinale decided to file a lawsuit against the clinic and its owner, Dr. Eliran Mor for “medical malpractice, negligence and fraud”. The couple has also sued a third-party embryology lab involved in the process.

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Daphna Cardinale is a licensed therapist in L.A

Alexander and Daphna Cardinale (Image via Peiffer Wolf/YouTube)

Alexander Cardinale is a 41-year-old singer-songwriter based in L.A. He reportedly lives with his wife Daphna Cardinale and their two children. The latter is 43 years old and works as a licensed therapist.

The couple recently made news after suing a fertility clinic in L.A. for unknowingly swapping their IVF samples with another pair. In September 2019, Daphna Cardinale gave birth to her second child after going through a difficult pregnancy.

However, her husband Alexander immediately noticed a striking difference in the child’s appearance and complexion as compared to her parents. The pair conducted a DNA test when the child turned two months old and realized she belonged to a different family.

Daphna Cardinale said in an official statement that the revelation left the couple shattered:

“I was overwhelmed by feelings of fear, betrayal, anger and heartbreak. I was robbed of the ability to carry my own child. I never had the opportunity to grow and bond with her during pregnancy, to feel her kick.”

However, Daphna also decided to raise the child she had with immense love and care due to the fear of losing her on legal terms in the future:

"When I found out she wasn't mine I poured more love into her. Maybe I was just clinging to her. I was just so scared I was going to lose her, which I ultimately did.”

The couple eventually tracked the child’s own parents, who were also unwittingly raising the Cardinales’ biological daughter. The children were united with their own parents but the ordeal left a devastating impact on their families.

Daphna Cardinale was left emotional during a recent press conference and mentioned that the memories of her second childbirth were “tainted” due to the incident. She also opened up about the feeling of loss related to the other child she nurtured over the past four months:

“My memories of childbirth will always be tainted by the sick reality that our biological child was given to someone else, and the baby that I fought to bring into this world was not mine to keep. The daughter we raised and bonded with was gone after months of love and affection. There’s no way to describe the pain that we’ve been through.”

Alexander and Daphna Cardinale also discussed the effects of the complicated situation on their older daughter, who reportedly bonded with her younger sister within a few months. The former stated:

“Having to tell her that her four-month-old baby sister wasn’t her sister and that there was another baby that… how do you say that to a five year old? We struggled with that for so long and we finally told her and I think it’s really profoundly changed her.”

The couple decided to sue the authorities involved in the process due to the damaging effects of the situation on their mental and emotional health. As per the legal documents, Alexander and Daphna Cardinale both suffered "symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD" following the revelation.

Meanwhile, their attorney mentioned that the other couple had also decided to file a lawsuit against the clinic while maintaining anonymity. In the wake of their harrowing experience, both the involved families have developed a cordial relationship and often spend holidays and special occasions together.