It was 2023, and inside an L.A. family court, clerks were working through some documents.

They're what's known as parentage petitions.

If you've enlisted a surrogate to carry your baby, then you need a judge to approve your

parentage petition in order to actually take the baby home. It's basically the court saying,

yes, this kid is legally yours. Once this child is born, you, the parents, have the parental

rights to the child. You are clear to put your name on the birth certificate.

That's investigative reporter Catherine Long.

And are these usually contentious petitions?

No. Typically these are, you know, I hesitate to say reprimped,

but it's a fairly simple process.

But this time, the clerks noticed something.

One name kept showing up over and over again.

A man named Shoe Bo had put his name on at least four applications for parental rights for children who were as yet unborn but were being carried

by surrogates.

The same guy, Shu Bo, was applying for parental rights to at least four babies being carried by

surrogates.

The clerks thought that was a little strange.

It's not terribly common to have that many simultaneous surrogacies.

They started poking around, and they realized that in addition to those at least four children,

Shubo already had or was in the process of having eight other children.

That's 12 kids total.

12 kids, all born via surrogacy, all with the same father.

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