A 64-year-old man from Selden, Long Island is suing Jamaica Hospital in Queens, New York, claiming he was mistakenly switched at birth and placed with the wrong family more than six decades ago. Kevin McMahon files a civil lawsuit against the hospital for what he describes as a life-altering error that robbed him of his biological family and identity.
According to the suit, McMahon grows up believing he is part of a family that includes three siblings. But for years, he says he feels a disconnect—he doesn’t resemble his siblings and has always questioned his origins. His suspicions intensify in recent years, leading him to take a DNA test. The results confirm that he shares no genetic relation to the people who raised him.
Digging into hospital records, McMahon uncovers a possible cause of the confusion. Two women, both with the same last name, give birth to sons on the same day at Jamaica Hospital in 1959. The lawsuit alleges the infants are inadvertently swapped and sent home with the wrong families. McMahon believes he was one of those babies and that he grew up in a household that was not his own by birth.
Though he expresses gratitude for the siblings he grew up with, McMahon describes a difficult childhood marked by his adoptive mother’s struggles with alcohol. He says he harbors no resentment toward the family that raised him but mourns the chance he never had to connect with his biological parents, both of whom are now deceased. “I would have liked to just know them—just once,” he says in a statement.
McMahon’s attorney, Jeremy Schiowitz, says the case represents one of the most profound breaches of trust imaginable by a medical institution. The lawsuit seeks damages for emotional trauma, lifelong loss of identity, and the deprivation of familial connection. “This is not just about money—it’s about accountability for a mistake that changed a life forever,” Schiowitz says.
Jamaica Hospital has not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit. Legal experts note that while the case may be difficult to prove after so many years, documented hospital records, combined with modern DNA evidence, could provide a compelling narrative in court. It remains unclear whether the family who raised McMahon’s biological counterpart is aware of the situation or involved in the legal proceedings.
Cases of infants being switched at birth are extremely rare but not unprecedented. With the rise of consumer DNA testing in recent years, a growing number of such cases have come to light, often decades after the fact. In McMahon’s case, the emotional toll is amplified by the knowledge that he has missed any opportunity to form a relationship with his birth parents.
The lawsuit raises questions not only about historical hospital protocols but also about current standards of accountability and patient safety in maternity wards. Advocates for patient rights say the case underscores the need for better oversight and record-keeping practices, particularly in high-volume urban hospitals.
As the case moves forward, McMahon hopes his experience will bring awareness to other potential cases and encourage institutions to take greater care in how they handle the lives entrusted to them.
Source Links:
https://www.audacy.com/1010wins/news/local/long-island-man-says-he-was-switched-at-birth-in-queens
https://nypost.com/2025/04/09/us-news/long-island-man-kevin-mcmahon-switched-at-birth-sues-jamaica-hospital
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-man-claims-he-was-switched-at-birth-files-lawsuit-over-lost-family-history/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/nyregion/kevin-mcmahon-birth-lawsuit-jamaica-hospital.html
https://youtu.be/Ec1IGaYZgjY
