Manon Serrano (R) and her mother Sophie Serrano (L) leave Grasse courthouse, on December 2, 2014. (Agence France-Presse)
Grasse:
For years, two French couples had doubts over whether their respective daughters were really theirs and a DNA test eventually confirmed their worst fears, revealing the girls were switched at birth.
On Tuesday, the families of the girls now aged 20 went to court in the southeastern city of Grasse, suing doctors and the clinic involved in the case for more than 12 million euros ($15 million) in damages.
The story began on July 4, 1994, when Sophie Serrano -- now 38 -- gave birth to little Manon at a clinic in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, near Grasse.
The baby suffered from jaundice and doctors put her in an incubator equipped with lights to treat the problem along with another affected newborn girl.
An auxiliary nurse unwittingly switched them, and although both mothers immediately expressed doubt about the babies, pointing to their different hair lengths, they were sent home anyway.
Ten years later, troubled by the fact his daughter bore no resemblance to him with her darker skin, Manon's father did a paternity test that revealed he was not her biological parent.
Sophie Serrano then discovered she was not Manon's mother either, prompting a probe to try and find the other family who had been handed their biological daughter.
The investigation revealed that at the time of the births in 1994, three newborns suffered from jaundice -- the two girls and a boy -- and the clinic only had two incubators with the special lights.
The girls were therefore put together in one incubator, according to the lawyer of one of the obstetricians being sued.
Another obstetrician, two paediatricians, the clinic and an auxiliary nurse are also being sued.
Biological mother 'a stranger'
"If it happened to us, it may have happened to others," Sophie Serrano said after the hearing, holding the hand of her non-biological daughter Manon.
"There should be exemplary sentences.... We really hope to get this recognition, so as to free us from all this guilt about not having been able to protect your kid, not having insisted when we saw there was a problem."
For her part, Manon said she was shocked over accusations levelled in court blaming the mothers for not having recognised their children.
"She protested, she found herself in front of a qualified nurse, she was very young, she had just had a child, so putting the blame on her is absurd, I find that inhuman," she said.
The other family involved in the case also attended Tuesday's closed-doors hearing but opted to remain anonymous.
The two sets of parents met their biological daughters for the first time when they were both 10 years old, but did not ask that they be switched back.
"It was a pretty disturbing moment, very bizarre," said Manon.
"You find yourself in front of a woman who is biologically your mother but who is a stranger."
The two families have distanced themselves from each other since the meeting 10 years ago.
"It's too difficult, so we each went our separate ways as it's so distressing, it was the only way to find some stability again," said Sophie Serrano.
The court will rule on the case on February 10.
On Tuesday, the families of the girls now aged 20 went to court in the southeastern city of Grasse, suing doctors and the clinic involved in the case for more than 12 million euros ($15 million) in damages.
The story began on July 4, 1994, when Sophie Serrano -- now 38 -- gave birth to little Manon at a clinic in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, near Grasse.
The baby suffered from jaundice and doctors put her in an incubator equipped with lights to treat the problem along with another affected newborn girl.
An auxiliary nurse unwittingly switched them, and although both mothers immediately expressed doubt about the babies, pointing to their different hair lengths, they were sent home anyway.
Ten years later, troubled by the fact his daughter bore no resemblance to him with her darker skin, Manon's father did a paternity test that revealed he was not her biological parent.
Sophie Serrano then discovered she was not Manon's mother either, prompting a probe to try and find the other family who had been handed their biological daughter.
The investigation revealed that at the time of the births in 1994, three newborns suffered from jaundice -- the two girls and a boy -- and the clinic only had two incubators with the special lights.
The girls were therefore put together in one incubator, according to the lawyer of one of the obstetricians being sued.
Another obstetrician, two paediatricians, the clinic and an auxiliary nurse are also being sued.
Biological mother 'a stranger'
"If it happened to us, it may have happened to others," Sophie Serrano said after the hearing, holding the hand of her non-biological daughter Manon.
"There should be exemplary sentences.... We really hope to get this recognition, so as to free us from all this guilt about not having been able to protect your kid, not having insisted when we saw there was a problem."
For her part, Manon said she was shocked over accusations levelled in court blaming the mothers for not having recognised their children.
"She protested, she found herself in front of a qualified nurse, she was very young, she had just had a child, so putting the blame on her is absurd, I find that inhuman," she said.
The other family involved in the case also attended Tuesday's closed-doors hearing but opted to remain anonymous.
The two sets of parents met their biological daughters for the first time when they were both 10 years old, but did not ask that they be switched back.
"It was a pretty disturbing moment, very bizarre," said Manon.
"You find yourself in front of a woman who is biologically your mother but who is a stranger."
The two families have distanced themselves from each other since the meeting 10 years ago.
"It's too difficult, so we each went our separate ways as it's so distressing, it was the only way to find some stability again," said Sophie Serrano.
The court will rule on the case on February 10.
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