Battle over birth certificate gender

ALBANY, NY (AP) -  A former Marine has filed a lawsuit against a New York City hospital that erroneously identified him as female on his birth certificate.

David Hassan, of Bayonne, N.J., says he noticed the mistake in 2003 when he was applying for a new ID.

According to the suit, he was told he would need a letter from Lenox Hill Hospital stating the 1982 birth certificate mistake was a "hospital error."

The hospital sent a letter in 2007 acknowledging that the gender should be changed. But the suit claims it refused to admit it made a mistake "for liability reasons."

The hospital says it thought the letter had resolved the matter and that it is working on it.

The city's Law Department says it's reviewing the lawsuit.