Iowa mom falsely accused of cocaine use during pregnancy sues drug testing lab

A Monroe County mother who faced separation from her two children after being accused of using cocaine during her second pregnancy is suing the medical laboratory she says botched a drug test.

Emily Donlin gave birth to her second child, Paul, in March 2023. Unbeknownst to her or husband Michael, Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines submitted a portion of her umbilical cord for drug testing, which came back positive for cocaine.

The couple wasn't aware of the test or the positive result until an Iowa Child Protective Services worker came to their home weeks later to tell them a "founded" child abuse report had been filed.

That began a long chain of meetings and legal proceedings that ultimately resulted in a judge rejecting the state's request to put the couple's two children in foster care. Multiple subsequent tests and home assessments found no signs of drug use by Emily Donlin, according to documents the couple shared with the Des Moines Register in 2024, and a court-appointed guardian found there were no safety concerns for the children in their household.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2025/07/14/monroe-county-iowa-mother-sues-drug-testing-lab-false-positive-cocaine-emily-donlin/84522864007/