Attorney General Ashley Moody is taking action to shut down a surrogacy company for allegedly deceiving people seeking pregnancy surrogates. The Attorney General today filed a complaint in Hillsborough County against The Surrogacy Group, LLC and its owner, Gregory Blosser. The defendants allegedly failed to deliver administrative services, return deposits, or pay fees and costs owed to surrogates. The company conducts business in Tampa with additional offices in Maryland and New York.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Couples invest a lot of time, money and emotion in the surrogacy process, and it is shameful that anyone would exploit this intimate and personal journey to steal their money. Our court action seeks to prohibit the defendants from offering surrogacy services in Florida.”
The complaint alleges that The Surrogacy Group opened in 2016, offering services to match hopeful parents with potential surrogates and to assist intended parents and surrogates with the medical, administrative and legal steps necessary for a successful process.
However, following multiple consumer complaints, the Florida Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the company in February. The consumer complaints allege a pattern of deceptive and unfair conduct, including failing to deliver services that consumers paid hefty deposits for in advance and failing to pay some surrogates’ medical costs. The Surrogacy Group promised that intended parents’ funds were held in an escrow account to fund those expenses.
The complaint further alleges that the defendants enticed intended parents to hire The Surrogacy Group by making false promises of a money back guarantee, the availability of 24-hour assistance and other materially false or misleading statements. The Surrogacy Group also cut off or severely decreased communication with surrogates after receiving the deposits. Thus far, the investigation reveals the defendants collected approximately $270,000 from intended parent consumers for services not rendered.
The litigation, pending in the Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County, seeks a temporary and permanent injunction against defendants to prohibit them from offering or providing surrogacy related services and soliciting new consumers. The litigation also seeks restitution for consumers who are victims of the defendants’ actions, as well as civil penalties.
Florida consumers wishing to file a complaint against the defendants or who otherwise possess information concerning The Surrogacy Group’s business practices may contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office by filing a complaint online at MyFloridaLegal.com or by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM.
To view the complaint, click here.
