78-year-old Karen Rafteseth Dokken never suspected the uncanny transformation that took place in the maternity ward at Sunnmøre in 1965. She explained this in the Oslo district court on Tuesday morning. In a low, clear voice, she told how she was admitted to the delivery room where she gave birth to a daughter. Seven days later she returned home with a baby. But it would later turn out to be completely wrong baby. – It was never my thought that Mona was not my daughter. She was named Mona, and was to be named after my mother, Dokken said in court. The 78-year-old woman was brought to tears several times when she told the court about how she reacted when she was told that the babies had been switched. Karen Rafteseth Dokken’s biological daughter did not grow up at her home. The doll only got to meet her again after almost 60 years in limbo. Photo: private Did not react to the fact that the baby was different from the others. The baby she brought home from the maternity hospital was not like the rest of the family. But when the child gradually got dark curls, Karen Rafteseth Dokken thought she had inherited the curls from her mother-in-law. She never reacted to the fact that this baby looked different from the others. – I had no idea about anything, she said in court. In the courtroom are now both the woman who grew up as her daughter, and the biological daughter, whom she only got to know after almost 60 years. There were tears in courtroom 828 on Tuesday morning. Lawyer Sølvi Nyvoll Tangen and Linda Risvik Gotaas. In the chair sits Karen Rafteseth Dokken. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news Revealed by DNA test Everything was discovered when Mona, who grew up with Karen Rafteseth Dokken, had taken a DNA test and searched for relatives on the website My Heritage. She had felt different for a long time. The news hit the two families like a bomb. – It was a shock. I had no idea that Mona was ours, said Dokken in court. – Would not change family Linda Risvik Gotaas (59), one of the babies who was switched, thinks they should have been told about the switch sooner. She grew up in Southern Norway, and not in Western Norway, where her biological family belonged. – I had of course not changed families, but I could make contact and decide for myself what choice I wanted to make, she said in court on Tuesday afternoon. She says it is a pity that she never got to meet her biological father. She asks the state and the municipality to give them a reason and compensation. Janne Dokke, sister of one of the switched babies, Karen Rafteseth Dokken, lawyer Sølvi Nyvoll Tangen, one of the confused babies, Linda Risvik Gotaas and her lawyer, Bjørn Rener-Larsen. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news – I couldn’t believe my ears The three women have now taken legal action against the state and the municipality and demanded up to 20 million in compensation. The state and the municipality became aware of the change in the 80s and carried out several secret investigations without informing the families. Dokken cannot forgive them for this. – I didn’t want to believe my ears, I couldn’t believe what I read was true, I have never been contacted, she said on Tuesday morning and added: – I feel very small and insignificant. I was supposed to be one of the main characters, and then I haven’t heard a peep. She has previously told news that she feels that old age is ruined. The birth announcements from Sunnmørsposten show that a child was born on 14 and 15 February. These were confused. Photo: FACSIMILE FROM SUNNMØRSPOSTEN I think the case is out of date Neither the municipality nor the state will take responsibility in the case. The lawyers believe that it is not possible to prove who confused the babies, that the cases are outdated anyway, and that no one is entitled to compensation. The state and the municipality have previously received criticism for not wanting to attend mediation in order to avoid a trial. Asgeir Nygård at the Government Attorney says that the parties have had such different perceptions of the case and that it has had nothing to do with it. He refers, among other things, to the fact that the three women have indicated that they are demanding up to NOK 20 million in compensation. Published 12.11.2024, at 13.43 Updated 12.11.2024, at 2 p.m
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Karen Rafteseth Dokken got the wrong daughter – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
