The families of two babies who were accidentally switched at birth have received almost €2 million in damages in a French court.
After her birth in 1994, Manon Serrano, who was suffering from jaundice, was placed in an incubator with another baby girl. When a nurse unwittingly returned both infants to the wrong parents, the child’s mother Sophie Serrano remarked that her baby’s hair appeared to have grown in the space of a few hours. Despite the observation, both the Serranos and the other family, who have asked not to be named publicly, took their babies home. It would be ten years before the error came to light.
As she grew older, Manon’s parents began to notice she looked different to the rest of the family. Her hair was different and her skin was darker, which caused her estranged father to have doubts about her paternity. A DNA test revealed she was not his biological child and a second test quickly revealed that the child’s mother was not biologically connected to her either.
When the mix-up was reported, the other family involved was located just 20 miles away. While both parties did attempt to forge a link with their biological children, they found the situation to difficult and eventually grew apart.
This week a court in Grasse in the south of France awarded €400,000 to each of the young women, now aged 20, who had been switched at birth. Three of the parents involved received €300,000 in compensation each, while three siblings received €60,000.
