NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — On behalf of the state of Tennessee, the attorney general is suing a Nashville doctor and his various fertility treatment businesses for leaving patients high and dry.
The Center for Reproductive Health has been around for nearly 30 years, but in early April, Dr. Jaime Vasquez told his fertility clinic staff that he didn't have enough money to pay them. And as a result, he lost all of them. This left vulnerable patients without support or services.
We feel for the families — there are hundreds — who are wrapped up in the mess.
I sat down with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. After speaking, I think he feels for patients, too.
"The thing that sticks out is how much people care about this. This is a huge part of their lives," said Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
Skrmetti believes the doctor's actions are in direct violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
The lawsuit can be viewed online.
"The clinic made really big representations about it's ability to help people who needed help. It's very sensitive... very emotional part of their lives, and the clinic didn't follow through on it's promises," Skrmetti said.
One of nearly 700 patients left unsupported is Chelsea Morris. In the lawsuit, she is Jane Doe 1. I interviewed her a few days after the clinic shut down. She was actively taking medicine to prepare for a scheduled embryo transfer.
"For us it's a huge setback," Chelsea Morris told me on April 9th. "You've gone this far, you've experienced this much. Honestly, it feels like a huge betrayal."
On Friday morning, the Attorney General's Office obtained a temporary restraining order against Dr. Vasquez. Now, a court-appointed receiver took over operation of the clinic. The receiver is in place to get things in order, including get patient's their medical records so they can move on.
I asked Skrmetti if that person will also be making sure the embryos and other material still in the clinic's lab are stored properly. If the storage tanks are not a certain temperature the result could be catastrophic. For example, embryos need to be stored in liquid nitrogen at -321 degrees Fahrenheit.
"There's possibly 1,200 pieces of genetic material. That could be anything from embryos, eggs and sperm. So, can you see those are safe?" I said.
"The tanks are topped off, to the best of my knowledge, they've been kept to an adequate level throughout the transition, but that's only because a lot of people worked hard to make sure that they were. As this thing collapsed that was a priority for everybody. They wanted to be sure there wasn't some failure of the cooling system," he said.
There is a court-appointed receiver in place. That's basically a temporary business administrator. He's been hired to get things in order, including get patient's their medical records so they can move on.
"It's really important given the stakes here for the clinic to do right by them. And to the extent for the clinic didn't do right by them, we have to make sure the receiver is in place to allow them to continue that care at other places that will give them what they need," he said.
NewsChannel 5 has reached out several times to the lawyer representing Dr. Vasquez. If we hear back, we will let you know.
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-Rebecca Schleicher
