Family files lawsuit over lost embryos

An Ohio family has filed a class action lawsuit against the hospital where officials estimate about 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos may have been damaged by a storage tank malfunction.

Amber and Elliott Ash, of Bay Village, say they had two embryos stored at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center’s suburban fertility clinic after Elliott’s cancer diagnosis in 2003.

The couple has a 2-year-old son conceived through in-vitro fertilization, and hoped to bring him a genetic sibling.

The couple says their embryos are now no longer viable.

The hospital issued an apology after the unexplained malfunction caused temperatures inside the storage tank to rise.

UH officials say the lawsuit will not affect an ongoing independent review into the malfunction.

The Ash family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.