Areas of Expertise
Surrogate Mother Cases, Birth Mothers Right Cases, & the Rights of Pregnant Mothers
Harold Cassidy litigated numerous cases involving the rights of pregnant mothers and birth mothers in matters spanning thirty-five years. For a number of years he was counsel to a national organization of birth mothers and collected research on the unique experience of the birth mother. Mr. Cassidy worked with numerous experts who specialized in grief reactions of women who surrendered their rights to their relationship with their children. This work led to his work with surrogate mothers. Cases of public interest in which Mr. Cassidy was chief counsel include:
A number of cases in which he secured the return of a birth mother’s baby in situations where the mother’s rights were violated and the surrender of her rights was not informed and voluntary (1981-2001).
Chief counsel in the famous Baby M Case which won the poetic opinion of the New Jersey Supreme Court; the first case which struck down surrogate parenting contracts as unenforceable, against public policy, and exploitative of women; In the Matter of Baby M (1988). See opinion below:
View the Opinion
Chief counsel in the AGR gestational surrogacy case, the first contested “gestational” surrogacy case (the pregnant mother was not genetically related to the child she carred) in New Jersey, resulting in a court decision which declared the contract unenforceable and against public policy and subject to the NJ Supreme Court’s decision in Baby M. See opinion below:
Mr. Cassidy is currently involved in representing surrogate mothers. He represents the “gestational” surrogate mother in the P.M. v. T.B. case currently pending in the Iowa Supreme Court. Immediately below are the briefs Mr. Cassidy filed in the court.