Lawsuit: Money families set aside to pay surrogates instead used to fund woman’s rap ambitions

ATLANTA, Ga. — A new lawsuit alleges that money set aside by hundreds of families in escrow accounts to pay their surrogates was instead used to fund the lavish lifestyle and music mogul aspirations of the owner of the escrow company.

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Channel 2 Action News first reported in June that customers of Surrogacy Escrow Account Management (SEAM) were suddenly told they had no access to their Escrow accounts and their surrogates were going unpaid.

Now attorneys for 23 of the families have filed suit, alleging that SEAM’s owner, Dominique Side, spent millions of dollars in escrow money on herself and her music career.

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“We were flabbergasted. Just the extent of the recklessness,” Roy Copeland told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.

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When we first introduced you to the Copelands last month, the Smyrna couple were preparing for a gender reveal party. Now, they are decorating a pink nursery.

They also now know more about what may have happened to the $60,000 of their money placed in an escrow account to pay their surrogate.

The lawsuit claims that “bank records show that Dominique transferred more than $2.2 million of the intended parents’ escrow funds to bankroll her music career as ‘Dom,’ a racy rap and R&B singer.”

According to the lawsuit, Side instead used clients’ money to pay for “lavish trips all over the world” and to purchase designer “clothing and luxury vehicles.”

“With every layer we peel back in this case, we discover more wickedness and greed,” attorney Marianne Robak said. “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.”

The lawsuit alleges Side and her partners used millions from SEAM to fund a music studio.

According to the suit, “SEAM transferred more than $6.2 Million of the intended parents’ escrow funds to Vgn Bae Studios.”

“Makes you wonder if she has a conscience. We don’t think she does. To take folks money, run away with it. And, as they’re dealing with this journey is pretty despicable,” Roy Copeland said.

The court filing also state that on June 17, 2024, Side informed Capital One, N.A. that she wanted to close all of SEAM’s bank accounts.

Side allegedly wrote the bank, saying: “At this point, I would like to shut down everything. The whole process ignited a fire that I can’t extinguish so I will not longer have a use for those funds.”

The Copelands have had to pull from their retirement savings to keep paying their surrogate.

“I think the part that hurts the most is knowing that she was once a surrogate and in this situation, and to completely take advantage of all these families is just so unfortunate,” Jenna Copeland said.

Gray tried to reach out to Dominque Side.

He received and auto-response from her email that said: “My sincerest apologies for the non-responsiveness. My company and I have been notified that we are subject to an active investigation by federal authorities. Under advice of counsel, I am not permitted to respond to any inquiries regarding the investigation. Please be kindly advised that the investigation involves only me, as an individual, and SEAM, as a single-member entity.”

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