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DNA Match Reunites Woman with Likely Half-Sisters — She Sued for a Share of Father’s $28M Wrongful-Death Recovery

07:36 AM, 12/04/2025
DNA Match Reunites Woman with Likely Half-Sisters — She Sued for a Share of Father’s $28M Wrongful-Death Recovery

Carmen Thomas used a 23andMe test in early 2023 and connected with two likely half-sisters, meeting them in March. After a brief period of contact, communication stopped when one sister asked for space in April. In January 2024 Thomas discovered reporting about a wrongful-death case tied to the sisters’ father, whose jury award was at one point reported as $28 million and was later settled. Thomas sued in February 2024 claiming entitlement to a share; the complaint was dismissed in March and the parties waived appeals.

A 28-year-old woman from Lexington, Massachusetts, used a consumer DNA test to search for her absent father and was introduced to two likely half-sisters. Within a year she filed a lawsuit claiming she was entitled to a share of the sisters’ father’s multimillion-dollar wrongful-death recovery. The complaint was later dismissed and the parties waived their rights to appeal.

How the connection happened

In February 2023, Carmen Thomas submitted a sample to 23andMe hoping to learn more about her father, whom she had been told was named Joe Brown. The DNA results led to matches that brought her together with Kali and Abigail Brown. The three met in person on March 18, 2023, and the initial meeting was described as pleasant.

From welcome to distance

Thomas says she was welcomed into the family, meeting the sisters’ mother, Kristin Eckhardt, and communicating frequently after the first meeting. Her complaint states that "at no time did Kali, Abby, Kristin, or Kathleen question Carmen's paternity and she was welcomed into the family unconditionally."

On April 7, 2023, Kali texted Thomas asking for space and explaining that they were "missing our father a lot, and it's not really been easy." Thomas says that was her last contact with either sister.

Discovery of the wrongful-death case and lawsuit

In January 2024, while researching the anniversary of the man she believed was her father, Thomas discovered public reporting about a medical-malpractice wrongful-death case tied to Joe Brown. Court reporting and legal filings indicate Brown died in January 2018 of an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm; that litigation at one point produced a jury award reported at $28 million, though later filings say the matter was settled for an undisclosed sum.

In February 2024 Thomas filed a lawsuit naming Kali and Abigail Brown and their mother, Kristin Eckhardt, asserting she was also a daughter of Joe Brown and therefore entitled to a portion of any wrongful-death recovery. The filing came as a shock to the family, whose attorney said the daughters had already been traumatized by their father’s death.

"The death of their father was extraordinarily traumatic, as you can imagine. That was compounded by this putative heir all of a sudden showing up and demanding money," said attorney Joseph Lipchitz, who represented Eckhardt and her daughters.

Case outcome

Court records show the complaint was dismissed in March and that all parties waived the right to appeal. No further court action was reported publicly.

This case highlights how consumer DNA testing can abruptly expand family networks — and sometimes lead to unexpected legal disputes. The facts above reflect the timeline and public court information available about the lawsuit and its dismissal.

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