A Massachusetts woman with modest beginnings was overjoyed to discover she had two sisters through a 23andMe DNA test. However, the joyful reunion turned complicated when she realized her newfound family was worth $28 million, prompting her to file a lawsuit for her rightful inheritance.

Carmen Thomas, 28, embarked on her journey of discovery in February 2023 when she took a 23andMe DNA test, which led her to uncover the identity of her biological father and half-sisters.

Upon reconnecting with her family, Carmen learned that her father, Joseph Brown, had passed away five years prior due to an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm, a revelation that left her with mixed emotions.

Joseph, aged 43, had visited the emergency room at Salem Hospital on the morning of January 13, 2018, complaining of severe upper abdominal pain that quickly radiated to his chest and back, according to legal documents seen by the Daily Mail.

Despite spending almost an entire day at the hospital, Brown’s condition deteriorated as his breathing became more labored and the pain intensified. Tragically, by the time doctors identified the aneurysm, it was too late, and he succumbed to the condition.

His devastated wife, Kristin Eckhardt and their two daughters, Kali and Abigail Brown went on to sue Salem Hospital, claiming medical staff could have diagnosed him about 20 hours sooner, which could have saved his life. 

When the trial concluded in April 2023, a jury ruled in the family’s favor and awarded them $28.8 million. 

A month before the settlement, Thomas had reached out to Kali, now 26, telling her that she was her half-sister following her at home DNA test results. 

Carmen Thomas, 28, sued her siblings after finding out they won $28 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit involving their father, Joseph Brown, 43. (Pictured: Brown with his daughters Kali and Abigail)

Court documents showed several images of Thomas with her half-siblings, smiling and cheerful before she found out about their fortune 

Thomas’ lawsuit against her family painted the picture of a happy reunion, filled with reconnection, pictures with her two sisters and other precious moments where she met her father’s relatives. 

But in the Brown family’s opposition filing against Thomas, both Kali and Abigail ‘were very upset and hesitant’ to meet Thomas, but did so anyway ‘to be kind to this woman,’ the lawsuit stated. 

Soon, the family determined that Thomas, who Brown had with her mother Elizabeth Ruth Thomas, ‘was very assertive and possessive with the Brown Family from the inception,’ the legal filing stated. 

‘Even more disturbing, Plaintiff immediately attempted to prey on the family financially and emotionally by demanding that they pay for her gas, food, and alcohol, and threatening herself with self-harm if they did not answer her texts,’ the family’s lawyer, Joseph D. Lipchitz, wrote. 

‘Plaintiff’s gambit of attempting to obtain an injunction to freeze the assets of a grieving family is not only meritless, as a matter of law, it should been seen as an afront to this Court.’ 

After dealing with these behaviors from Thomas, her sister Kali ‘sought to distance herself’ from her on April 7, 2023, the lawsuit said. 

Her behavior really came to a head after Kali learned from her grandmother that Thomas had called their father a ‘dead beat dad.’ The family then ‘cut off all contact’ with her as a result. 

Carmen Thomas shared this photo of herself reacting to seeing her late father’s photo for the first time 

Brown was married to his wife Kristen Eckhart, whom he shared Kali and Abigail with 

Thomas’ biological mother is Elizabeth Ruth Thomas. The 28-year-old grew up in the Boston area. (Pictured: Thomas’ house) 

Additionally, the Brown family does not believe Thomas is their late husband and father’s daughter, citing that her biological mother ‘has never contacted the Brown Family claiming that she had a relationship with Mr. Brown,’ the filing stated. 

The family’s attorney also noted that Thomas failed to reach out to Eckhardt during the probate action, or legal process where a court supervises the settlement of an estate. 

She also never filed an action to establish paternity in regard to Brown, the lawsuit noted. 

In the end, the lawsuit Thomas filed against the grieving family was ‘resolved favorably’ for them, Lipchitz told the Wall Street Journal.   

‘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,’ the attorney added.

No further details of any settlement have been shared.  

Just before his tragic death, Brown, of Mississippi, had testing done that had ruled out he was suffering from a heart attack and pulmonary embolism, but blood tests revealed he had an elevated white blood cell count. 

He was then admitted at the hospital as doctors feared he had an infection after puncturing his foot days earlier, William Kenyon of Boston law firm Lubin & Meyer, said in court documents. 

Brown’s been remembered as a ‘loving and dedicated husband and father’ who ‘was happiest when he was at home with his wife and daughters.’ (Pictured: Undated image of Brown with Kali and Abigail)

Boston’s Back Bay is pictured. Joseph Brown’s daughters Kali and Abigail are now among the city’s upper crust after winning a $28.8 million payout following their father’s tragic death

In the midst of the infection, Brown’s chest and breathing symptoms grew increasingly worse, leaving him in ‘excruciating pain,’ the filing said. 

It wasn’t until 9.30am, the morning after he first stepped foot in the hospital, that Eckhardt learned her husband was experiencing an aneurysm. 

Hospital staff rushed him to be flown to Boston for an emergency surgery, but before that could even happen Eckhardt got the heartbreaking call her partner, who she met in 1997, had died. 

Brown’s been remembered as a ‘loving and dedicated husband and father’ who ‘was happiest when he was at home with his wife and daughters,’ according to his obituary. 

‘Joe was truly one of a kind, who touch the lives of many people; he will be fondly remembered and deeply missed by his family and friends,’ it added. 

The Daily Mail contacted Thomas, Eckhart and Lipchitz for comment.