Sofia Vergara's Embryo Lawsuit Is Coming to a Close

The saga of Sofia Vergara's embryos may finally be ending. According to a report in Page Six, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge decided that Vergara's ex, Nick Loeb, could not bring the couple's embryos to term without "explicit written consent" from Vergara. She was granted a permanent injunction in regards to the embryos and their future, basically blocking Loeb from using them. The decision comes after years of legal battles, which went from Los Angeles to Louisiana and back.

Judge Rafael Ongkeko's filing states that the injunction keeps Loeb from "unilaterally asserting any claim(s) by or on behalf of the Embryos to seek relief for the purpose of unilaterally bringing the Embryos to term without Vergara's consent." Loeb had previously moved the case to Louisiana, hoping to take advantage of the state's laws, even though he doesn't live there. The court called the case a "mockery of the Louisiana legal system."

"Loeb is not domiciled in, does not maintain a residence in, and does not have the intent to be domiciled or a resident of any parish in the State of Louisiana," an appeals court stated in January 2021. "Vergara has met her burden of proving that her exception of venue was correctly granted by the trial court."

Vergara first spoke about the situation in 2015 during an appearance with Howard Stern, saying that the couple had previously had an agreement as to what would happen to the embryos.

"There is a contract that he can't do anything," Vergara said. "We wrote what we wanted at the time. It's not like a contract [where] they give [it to] you right there the moment they're gonna take the eggs out — no, they give you this in advance. You see it, you review it, and not only that, we did it two times ... Two times and suddenly you want to change your mind?"

In a statement to Page Six, Loeb's attorney, Jalesia McQueen, said that they would appeal to the Louisiana state Supreme Court.

Loeb and Vergara separated in 2014, after they'd initiated IVF treatments in 2013. Vergara is now married to fellow actor Joe Manganiello.