Spain, exchanged at birth: asks for 3 million in compensation

Swapped at birth, a young 19-year-old Spanish girl sued health authorities asking for € 3 million in compensation. The incredible story, revealed by the local newspaper La Rioja, also struck the Spanish public opinion for the hardships suffered by the young woman, who ended up in a problematic family. Anna and Maria, the names are fictional, were born five hours apart in 2002 in the San Millan hospital in Logrono, a facility that has since been closed. Both underweight, they were placed in the incubator. And this is where their identities were confused, probably by human error. The family where Maria ended up proved difficult. In 2003 the little girl was entrusted to her maternal grandmother, who became her guardian. In 2017, when Maria was 15, her grandmother sued her granddaughter’s ‘father’ asking for alimony payments. But the man replied that Mary was not his daughter. The DNA test proved him right. And at this point, to everyone’s surprise, it was discovered that even the DNA test on the ‘mother’ had given a negative result. real parents. The juvenile court has authorized her to proceed as if she were already of age. At his request, the health authorities of the province launched an investigation, through which the exchange was discovered. But Maria didn’t have time to meet her real mother, who died in 2018. Two procedures are now underway. One for the recognition of filiation from his real father, who voluntarily submitted to the DNA test in January. The result has not yet been officially announced, but there seems to be no doubt. The second, which depends on the outcome of the first, is the request for compensation to the health authorities. However, these do not consider themselves responsible for the girl’s vicissitudes and would have offered compensation of 215 thousand euros.