Houston Families Demand Answers About Missing Surrogacy Funds

HOUSTON – Parents who continue their quest for children through surrogacy are asking Dominique Side for information on the disappearance of funds, which affects some at crucial moments in the surrogacy process. Side has not yet resolved the problem, which causes legal uncertainty for many families.

FOX 26 spoke with an attorney to explain the legal options available to affected families.

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According to Andrew Bluebond, managing attorney at Bluebond Law, “Certainly it’s a difficult road to navigate. We have found that the money held by SEAM is not in the accounts where it is supposed to be,” Bluebond said .

Parents intending to use surrogacy services placed large sums of money in SEAM’s trust account, which Side owns, to manage expenses related to their surrogacy mothers. Bluebond suspects that instead of keeping the money in individual accounts, it appears the funds were consolidated into a single account.

Concerns were further highlighted when it was found that management’s method of tracking funds apparently involved using a Google Docs spreadsheet, with no tangible link to bank accounts.

Expectant mother Katie Lynch said: “There is no clarity on the structure; you have an overview of your account via the SEAM website, but it is not actually linked to a real bank account visible.”

Lynch spent five years trying to have a child. During her attempts, she had three embryos transferred, but suffered two miscarriages. The loss took an emotional and physical toll and Lynch and her husband decided it was best to try a surrogate, and fortunately for the couple, a family friend offered to help, allowing them to save thousands of dollars.

The current situation also complicates parents’ potential plans, as Side has neither communicated with its clients nor responded to FOX 26’s interview requests.

Bluebond expressed the urgency of resolving the issue: “Ms Side’s failure to come forward is a major challenge to resolve. If she were to come forward, and even give us access and make it clear where the money is and what accounts are involved. , we can make a lot of progress in solving this problem.”

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The situation was particularly stressful for Kelly and Daniel Palladino. After suffering two miscarriages due to Kelly’s autoimmune disease lupus, surrogacy was their only option, and they currently have more than $60,000 in their escrow account with SEAM.

The Palladinos are delighted to learn that their surrogate mother is pregnant. Kelly Palladino expressed her anguish: “She not only took this money, she stole an important week from me and to leave us with nothing we worked hard for. She (Side) hurt me , she hurt my husband, she hurt a ton of families and I just wish she would do the right thing,” Palladino said.

The intended parents filed a report with Houston police, the FBI and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.