Asch’s Lawyer Assures Embryos’ Safety

SANTA ANA — An attorney for Dr. Ricardo H. Asch has agreed to ensure that frozen embryos of two couples preparing to sue the University of California and the fertility clinic Asch directed are safeguarded.

Asch’s attorney, Ken E. Steelman, agreed that the embryos stored at California Cryobank in Westwood will not be transferred or moved without written authorization, except in an emergency, according to a stipulation signed this week.

Both couples--Debra and Kent Beasley and Stacy Swanson-Schofro and Steve Schofro--contend that doctors at the UCI Center for Reproductive Health stole some of their eggs and transplanted them in other women without permission. They claim that the alleged theft and implants may have led to the birth of children unknown to them.

The couples sought several weeks ago in Orange County Superior Court to guarantee that their remaining frozen embryos were not moved or destroyed. The stipulation comes in response to Superior Court Judge Leonard Goldstein’s order at that time to work out an agreement.