McKenna West, the surrogate mother embroiled in a contentious custody dispute over a baby she carried but did not conceive, now faces legal action from the father of her biological child. Robert Gross filed a lawsuit against West on Wednesday, September 2, in Alaska, seeking sole custody and decision-making authority over their son.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Gross and West were never married but share a son named Cassius West, who was born in 2021. In his petition, Gross requests that the court grant him sole decision-making authority for the child.
The filing contains serious allegations about West's mental state and her recent actions. Gross notes in the petition that West "fled to Texas to avoid legal troubles here," according to TMZ. He further claims that her recent actions demonstrate she is not mentally stable enough to make decisions regarding Cassius. Gross alleges that West took their son to Texas and has not returned to Alaska.
The petition requests that West be permitted only supervised visits with their son, reflecting the severity of Gross's concerns about her parenting capabilities.
This lawsuit arrives as West remains entangled in a separate, high-profile custody battle over a child she delivered as a surrogate. West recently gave birth in Texas to a baby for Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, the biological parents who contracted her surrogacy services. The choice of Texas as the location for delivery may be connected to state laws that West believes favor her position in seeking custody of the infant.
The surrogacy arrangement deteriorated after doctors discovered a heart defect in the fetus. Gilkar and Ahmed wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but West refused to comply with their wishes. Following the birth, West has pursued custody of the child despite having no biological connection to the infant.
The dispute between West and the biological parents is currently being litigated across three states: Alaska, California, and Texas. The multi-jurisdictional nature of the case reflects the complexity of surrogacy law and parental rights across different state legal systems.
West now confronts legal challenges on two fronts, with Gross's custody petition in Alaska adding pressure as she continues to contest custody of the surrogate child. The Alaska case centers on allegations about her mental stability and her fitness to maintain parental authority over Cassius, while the surrogacy dispute raises fundamental questions about the rights and obligations inherent in gestational carrier agreements.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
