A Texas jurist, Harris County 80th District Court Judge Jeralynn Manor, entered an order freezing the accounts of defendants who took an estimated $10 million from couples with surrogate pregnancy contracts.

According to the petition that resulted in the temporary injunction, about 600 couples throughout the nation are alleged to have been defrauded by Surrogacy Escrow Account Management LLC (SEAM), its controlling partners and their affiliating companies.