Sherri Shepherd is a mother once more.
A Pennsylvania judge ruled that Sherri Shepherd is the legal mother of a baby boy who was born via surrogate after she filed for divorce from husband Lamar Sally.
The 8-month-old baby, who’s named after his father, was conceived with Sally’s sperm and a donor egg, with Shepherd’s consent. However, Shepherd had a change of heart midway into the surrogate’s pregnancy and refused to claim the baby.
The former The View co-host had also filed papers asking to be relieved of her parental rights and responsibilities for the baby.
Records show that 47-year-old Shepherd had paid the surrogate $30,000 for carrying and delivering the baby. At one point, she even offered $150,000 to her estranged husband which he refused.
Judge officially rules @SherriEShepherd mother of baby born via surrogate http://t.co/Il3vLS4pVx pic.twitter.com/aOfPNrSd2L
— The Root (@TheRoot) April 22, 2015
“I want her to co-parent with me like we agreed,” he said. “Sherri is the one who initiated the surrogacy and we agreed to do this together, she wanted this child more than anything.”
Legal representatives for the child also presented video evidence of Shepherd obviously happy and “expressing excitement over her and Lamar going to have a baby through the help of a surrogate carrier with no genetic connection.”
With the court ruling, Shepherd can be ordered to pay for child support.
His victory is a “bittersweet” one, according to Sally but says that Shepherd still owes him an apology, adding that the apology should go to “me, Jessica and [baby] LJ. At some point she is going to have to look into his face and say, ‘I’m sorry. You were conceived out of love.’”
Jessica is Jessica Bartholomew, the surrogate that Shepherd and Sally chose. She has since spoken out against Shepherd for refusing to claim the child.
The case is groundbreaking one for surrogates and gives them protection in the event that one or both of the intended parents decides to renege on the contract.