US court orders bankrupt surrogacy agency to pay $87,400

Verdict in the absence of the parties

A court in Florida (US) ruled in favour of the plaintiffs in a civil case against the American entity World Center Group Corp. This company operates the World Center of Baby surrogacy agency. The court ordered the defendants to pay the British couple a sum of $87,400. This is reported by the organisation OCCRP.

Since none of the defendants appeared at the court hearings, the case was not heard on the merits. The verdict was issued in absentia. The British couple, who asked journalists not to disclose their names, stated that they do not yet understand whether they will be able to recover the money. No comments from Yurii Star were received in response to requests from OCCRP representatives.

Who is named in the case

In addition to the World Center Group Corp corporation itself, two individuals were defendants in this civil case:

• Yurii Star (Starodubskyi), a Ukrainian national who held the position of president of World Center Group Corp;
• Malvina Ionash, the official director of the company, who is a Ukrainian citizen and resides in the city of Mukachevo.

Bankruptcy context

The World Center of Baby agency, founded by Ukrainians, operated in Ukraine, Albania, Georgia, Cyprus, and Mexico. In February 2026, the company officially declared bankruptcy. As a result, surrogate mothers were left without payments and support, while clients lost access to services for which payment had already been made.