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7 months ago
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A wealthy Microsoft executive is locked in a bitter dispute with her ex-husband who is refusing to let her use two frozen embryos the pair made when they were married.
Honeyhline Heidemann, 46, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2017 with chemotherapy treatment leaving her infertile.
Although she and her husband Jason, froze two embryos in 2015, after the couple divorced in 2018 Honeyhline was required to ask her former spouse, Jason Heidemann, 44, for permission if she wanted to use them.
The couple signed a written agreement stating the embryos would not be used without a court order or consent of both parties.
Honeyhline, who works for as a consultant for Microsoft, currently has three children, including a daughter born in 2016 that she shares with her ex-husband, another child through a donor embryo in 2021 and a third born last month.
Honeyhline Heidemann, 44, and her former husband squared off in court this month over two embryos they froze during a 2015 cycle of in vitro fertilization
Attorney advisor, Jason Heidemann, 46, has argued the embryos should continue to remain in storage unless he and his former wife can agree on what should be done with them
The couple met in 2008 and are seen here in one of their early pictures. They divorced in 2018
But her ex believes she would not be able to cope with any additional kids, citing how she would be unfit to deal with any more.
In a Fairfax Circuit Court bench trial Jason Heidemann, who is an attorney-adviser for the U.S. International Trade Commission, took to the witness stand to reel off a host of incidents suggesting his ex-wife was already stretched looking after her three current children.
He described a series of disturbing incidents during which he felt his former wife had made poor parenting decisions, including two occasions when she had left her toddler in a parked car.
He also recounted an incident in 2017 when his ex-wife pulled out a knife after he had wanted to take their daughter to visit the girl's paternal grandmother.
Jason Heidemann is seen with his daughter in some of his Facebook photos which he still co-parents with Honeyhline
Jason has said that Honeyhline has made some poor parenting decisions including two occasions when she had left her toddler in a parked car
Jason has argued the embryos should continue to remain in storage unless he and his former wife can agree on what should be done with them.
He also expressed no desire to co-parent any future children with Honeyhline who has agreed to absolve him of responsibility.
In court, Honeyhline said that she would prefer to be awarded both embryos, but also accepted the court could allow each ex-spouse to receive one.
'I don't really care about my insurance or anything like that, but I care about my embryos,' she testified, stressing how it was likely her only chance to have another biological child following her cancer battle.
Microsoft programmer Honeyhline Heidemann is seen with her eight-year-old daughter that she shares with Jason
Jason, pictured with his daughter, has expressed no desire to co-parent any future children with Honeyhline - who has agreed to absolve him of responsibility should she use the embyros
Jason has also suggested that ex-wife Honeyhline shoudl not parent any further children given that she now has three including one born in 2021 and another born in March 2024, seen here
'To me, you can't put a price on it,' she said in court. 'I would not have any other biological children without these embryos.'
Honeyhline attorney, Jason Zellman, has argued the embryos should be treated as property based on the 2018 settlement agreement both Heidemanns signed.
Jason’s attorney, Carrie Patterson, has argued the opposite rejecting the idea the embryos are property that can be split or even sold.
Judge Dontaè L. Bugg will now have to decide what will become of the Heidemanns' embryos with closing arguments scheduled for May 9.
English (US)