BACKGROUND: Hepatic embryonal sarcoma (HES) is a rare but aggressive primary tumor of the liver occurring most frequently in childhood. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 52 year old woman having previously undergone treatment for ovarian serous papillary carcinoma who subsequently presented with a large solitary mass in the liver. Initially this was presumed to be metastasis from the ovarian primary however, on further examination it was shown to be a primary hepatic embryonal sarcoma. CONCLUSION: Primary liver tumors should be considered in differential diagnoses in patients with ovarian cancer who subsequently present with liver tumors. This is particularly important when there is no direct evidence of recurrence of ovarian cancer.