Traditional Surrogacy Custody Battle in Florida

Surrogate Custody Battle Continues For Seminole Co. Couple Monday, August 06, 2007
A judge denied Tom and Gwyn Lamitina’s motion Friday for temporary custody and visitation rights in a custody battle with a surrogate mother in Jacksonville.
The Lamitina's, who reside in Seminole County, said they found Stephanie Eckard on a Web site called Surrogate Mothers Online. The Lamitina’s entered into a traditional surrogacy using Eckard's egg.
The couple alleges Eckard decided to keep the baby, and began demanding child support, health insurance and additional life insurance for the child. Eckard's attorney said she told the Lamitina's she wanted to keep the child before it was born. A final hearing will be held at a later date to determine final custody and how much child support Eckard is entitled to, if any.