Plaintiffs from across the country, around the world, seek millions; investigation shows money paid for $6.2M music studio, luxury cars

Families from across the country, as well as one each from France and Italy, are asking to join a lawsuit against Houston’s Surrogacy Escrow Account Management (SEAM) and owner Dominique Side as the search continues for the missing millions of dollars that had been intended to help prospective parents and surrogate mothers.

Altogether, these 23 families alone have combined losses of just over $1 million. There are hundreds more families that have been affected by SEAM’s actions.

While they continue efforts to track down the money, attorneys with Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP, have filed an amended petition in the case alleging that defendants diverted substantial funds intended for surrogates’ prenatal care to finance and fuel Side’s other business ventures, including a prospective rap career.

“With every layer we peel back in this case, we discover more wickedness and greed,” said Shackelford partner Marianne Robak. “All I can think about is how some of these defendants can sleep at night knowing they have taken millions of dollars from innocent people and, in some cases, ruined their victims’ chances at having a family of their own. It makes me sick.”

Troubles with SEAM came to light in June when expectant parents who had each deposited tens of thousands of dollars to pay women carrying their children learned instead that their money was apparently lost. Initially, it looked as though millions had vanished.

However, according to the new filing, bank records show Side transferred more than $2.2 million of the intended parents’ escrow funds to bankroll her music career as “Dom,” a rap and R&B singer and music producer. Some of the funds were used to create “Dom’s” music videos and social media content, according to the lawsuit.

Additionally, the updated lawsuit details, citing bank records, that SEAM transferred more than $6.2 million of the escrow funds to finance the defendants’ music studio, Vgn Bae Studios, which is now for sale. The listing shows the music equipment and other fixtures in the studio space are included in the purchase. That equipment is estimated to be worth between $700,000 and $1.3 million.

The escrow money also funded Side’s lavish vacations, designer clothing and luxury vehicles, according to the complaint. The funds even paid for her membership to Soho House, an exclusive club for music industry celebrities.

The case is Marieke Slik v Surrogacy Escrow Account Management, LLC D/B/A SEAM, LLC, et al., Cause no. 2024-39298 in Harris County District Court.

About Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP

Shackelford, McKinley & Norton, LLP, is a transactional, litigation, aviation, and entertainment law firm with attorneys and offices in Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and Austin, Texas, and New Orleans.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240716800032/en/