A Massachusetts woman who uncovered two long-lost sisters through a DNA test ended up in a legal battle with them just weeks later — hoping to claim part of a multimillion-dollar malpractice settlement tied to their father’s death.
Carmen Thomas, 28, took a 23andMe DNA test in February 2023 and discovered she was biologically related to sisters Kali and Abigail Brown. Their father, Joe Brown, died in 2018 at age 43 after Salem Hospital failed to promptly diagnose his aortic aneurysm, according to court documents.
Joe had gone to the hospital in January 2018 with severe pain radiating from his upper abdomen into his chest and back. He spent nearly a full day struggling to breathe before doctors finally identified the aneurysm — but the delay proved fatal, and he died the following day. Kali, Abigail, and their mother, Kristin, later sued the hospital, arguing that the slow diagnosis cost Joe critical hours that could have saved his life.
A jury agreed, awarding the family $28.8 million in April 2023 — only a month after Thomas first reached out to Kali and attempted to form a relationship with her newly discovered half sisters.
Once Thomas learned of the verdict, she filed her own lawsuit, seeking a share of the settlement.
In her complaint, Thomas highlighted what appeared to be a cheerful initial meetup with the Browns, supported by photos of the family together. But the Browns’ response told a different story: they said Abigail and Kali were “very upset and hesitant” about the meeting but agreed out of kindness, only to regret it when Thomas, they claimed, quickly became “very assertive and possessive.”
According to the family’s filing, Thomas demanded money for gas, food, and alcohol, and at times allegedly threatened self-harm if they did not respond to her messages. Their attorney, Joseph Lipchitz, said the situation deteriorated rapidly once Thomas learned the size of the settlement.
“Plaintiff’s gambit of attempting to obtain an injunction to freeze the assets of a grieving family is not only meritless as a matter of law, it should be seen as an affront to this Court,” Lipchitz wrote, adding that the sisters were stunned by the lawsuit.
He told the Wall Street Journal that the family had already endured deep trauma from their father’s death, and Thomas’ sudden appearance followed by demands for money compounded that pain.
By early April, the Browns cut off contact with Thomas. In court, they even questioned whether her biological connection was legitimate, noting that Thomas’ mother had never claimed to have been involved with Joe Brown. Lipchitz later said the legal matter “was resolved favorably” for the Browns, partly because Thomas’ claim came too long after Joe’s death to be considered.
Meanwhile, 23andMe — once the dominant name in home genetic testing — filed for bankruptcy in March, raising new concerns about how the company will protect the sensitive data of its 15 million users.