Sofia Vergara and ex-fiancé Nick Loeb fighting over fate of frozen embryos: 'Life begins at conception'

Sofia Vergara (Reuters)

The breakup of businessman Nick Loeb and actress Sofia Vergara has taken an uglier turn.

A lawsuit refiled on April 1 by Loeb and acquired by The Insider With Yahoo shows a messy disagreement over the future of two frozen embryos.

The formerly engaged couple chose to cryopreserve several embryos in November 2013. In vitro fertilisation with a surrogate was unsuccessful on two occasions, and they had two embryos remaining when they split at the end of May 2014.

According to Loeb, Vegara wants the remaining embryos destroyed, and he wants to preserve them. In court documents, the pair are identified only as John and Jane Doe.

"John seeks to save from destruction two cryopreserved Female Embryos created using John's sperm and Jane's ova for the purposes of attempting to have children," the suit read.

"However, before the Female Embryos could be implanted in a surrogate, the Parties ended their relationship... [John Doe] seeks to ensure that the Female Embryos are not destroyed, but Jane Doe refuses to agree to their preservation under all circumstances."

Loeb, 39, is also suing the fertility clinic where they underwent IVF, because they did not account for what should happen to the embryos if the couple split.

The Loeb's Foods founder has not discussed the case publicly, but a source reported that he is distraught over the idea of losing the embryos.

"Nick is very emotionally invested in these female embryos because he's pro-life and believes life begins at conception," the source told InTouch. "Nick has always wanted to be a father and will do whatever it takes to save these two remaining female embryos."

The 42-year-old actress has not released a comment regarding the lawsuit, and is planning a wedding with a new fiancé, actor Joe Manganiello.

News
Relief for Kristie Higgs as Supreme Court denies school's appeal in Facebook post case
Relief for Kristie Higgs as Supreme Court denies school's appeal in Facebook post case

The decision ends a years-long legal battle over religious free speech for the Christian teacher.

NHS England bosses side with female nurses in trans changing rooms row
NHS England bosses side with female nurses in trans changing rooms row

"Rose" offered to help educate the women as to why they should be willing to get undressed in front of him.

Ann Widdecombe: Gen Z’s return to faith is no surprise
Ann Widdecombe: Gen Z’s return to faith is no surprise

Ann Widdecombe, former MP and long-standing Christian voice in public life, believes the apparent resurgence of interest in Christianity among Britain’s youth is not as unexpected as it seems.

Despite frustrations, few pastors leave pulpit annually - study
Despite frustrations, few pastors leave pulpit annually - study

Though record levels of pastors, including more than half in mainline Protestant churches, seriously considered leaving full-time ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, only about 1% of them have been leaving ministry work annually in the last decade, a new Lifeway Research study finds.