Manon Serrano, who was switched at birth, kisses her mother Sophie. Photo / AP
Manon Serrano, who was switched at birth, kisses her mother Sophie. Photo / AP
Two French families who discovered they had been given the wrong babies a decade after their daughters were born because of a hospital mix-up have been awarded $3 million in compensation.
A court in the southern town of Grasse ordered the clinic in Cannes to pay the compensation, which was six times less than what the families had been demanding.
The Cannes-la-Bocca Clinic was ordered to pay 400,000 euros (almost $610,000) to each of the swapped babies, who are now adult women, along with 300,000 euros to each of the parents and 60,000 euros to three siblings.
The families first discovered they had been given the wrong children after Sophie Serrano, now 38, gave birth to a daughter at the clinic in July 1994.
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.
However, 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, Manon, bore no resemblance to him with her darker skin, the father did a paternity test that revealed he was not her biological parent.
Mrs 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.
A blood test found Manon Serrano, left, was not biologically related to her mother Sophie, right, nor her father, who became suspicious due to his daughter's darker skin. Photo / AP
The girls were therefore put together in one incubator.
The two sets of parents only met their biological daughters for the first time when they were both 10 years old, but did not ask that they be switched back.
The two families have distanced themselves from each other since the meeting a decade ago.
After a closed court hearing in December, Manon said: "It was a pretty disturbing moment.
"You find yourself in front of a woman who is biologically your mother but who is a stranger."
While Mrs Serrano added: "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."
Manon Serrano, left, and her mother Sophie leave court after a hearing on their case. Photo / AFP
She did not respond to requests for interviews after the latest judgement.
While the pair have been willing to discuss the case with media, the other family has preferred to keep a low profile.
The lawyers' office representing the clinic noted the "significant difference" between the amount requested and the sum the court demanded, acknowledging nevertheless that the damages awarded were "high".
The lawyers said they were waiting for the details of the judgement before considering a possible appeal.
But speaking on French television, a lawyer for one of the families said they were "completely satisfied with the decision" and "relieved that the court had recognised the clinic was responsible".
