Sofia Vergara has won custody rights of frozen embryos against her ex-fiancé, Nick Loeb. For several years the pair have been locked in a legal battle over custody of the embryos, which they created when they were romantically involved.
On Tuesday, a judge issued a permanent injunction to Vergara, blocking Loeb from creating “a child without the explicit written permission of the other person,” according to court docs obtained by People. That ruling effectively ends the case.
In 2017, Vergara filed legal documents to block Loeb from using the embryos without her written consent. Court records show that Loeb and Vergara had signed a document at a fertility clinic agreeing that they both had to consent to the use of the embryos. Loeb previously claimed that he signed the document under "duress." He also argued in a 2015 open letter published in The New York Times that "the form did not specify — as California law requires — what would happen if we separated. I am asking to have it voided."
On Tuesday the court found that the form "is not void or voidable based on Defendant Loeb's duress defense as to its execution." It further found that there is no "material fact" that supported Loeb's claims that he and Vergara had an "oral agreement" in place regarding the use of the embryos.
Commenting on the ruling, Loeb said the judge "was clearly influenced by Hollywood," according to People.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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