Professional Negligence Law Reporter

Joel Santiago submitted a DNA sample as part of a paternity test. DNA Diagnostics subsequently reported that there was no chance he had fathered baby Mackenzie. Eighteen months later, DNA Diagnostics notified Santiago that it had reviewed his test results and that there was a 99% probability that he was in fact Mackenzie’s father. Santiago, who had not had contact with Mackenzie or her mother for approximately two years, suffered emotional distress and incurred legal expenses in his quest to obtain visitation rights.

Santiago sued DNA Diagnostics, alleging negligence. The plaintiff asserted that there were seven to eight other patient tests the defendant had interpreted incorrectly and that the defendant had failed to prevent erroneous test results from being reported to clients.

The jury awarded $2.5 million.

Citation: Santiago v. DNA Diagnostics, Inc., No. FBT-CV-18-6074135-S (Conn. Super. Ct. Fairfield Cnty. June 28, 2023).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Steven J. Errante, AAJ member Marisa A. Bellair, and Rosalie D. Louis, all of New Haven, Conn.