Two families have filed a lawsuit against a North Dakota hospital, alleging that their infant sons were mistakenly switched at birth more than 36 years ago.
The men, Kyle Bylin and Jeremy Morrison, were the only two babies born at Unity Medical Center in Grafton on January 26, 1988, according to the legal filing.
The plaintiffs allege that hospital staff exchanged the infants and sent each boy home with the other’s biological parents, where they were raised without knowledge of the error.
The switch remained undiscovered for over three decades. Two years ago, Morrison, now living in Colorado, took a DNA test that revealed the parents who raised him were not his biological family.
A relative’s DNA submission confirmed the mismatch, linking Morrison to Bylin’s family. Morrison has said he always felt physically out of place among his upbringing household.
He noted that he was the only blonde-haired child in a family of brown-haired relatives and believes his life path would have been entirely different had the error not occurred.
Both sets of parents have since met their biological sons, though the two men have not yet met each other.
The hospital has denied the allegations and moved to dismiss the case. Its attorneys argue that staff acted with appropriate skill and reasonable care at all times.
The facility also contends the claim may be barred by the statute of limitations given the elapsed time since the alleged incident.
Plaintiffs are seeking more than $50,000 in damages and have requested a jury trial. The hospital has likewise demanded a jury trial and raised comparative fault as a defense.
In a statement, the hospital acknowledged the unusual situation involving two men born there on the same day in 1988 and expressed sympathy for those affected.
It stated that nearly four decades have passed, leaving no surviving delivery staff or relevant records from that period, and affirmed no evidence was found indicating hospital responsibility.
