Sperm bank sued for selling sperm belonging to 'schizophrenic criminal'
Lawsuit alleges mentally ill felon fathered as many as 36 children in Canada, the US and the UK
Parents are suing a US-based sperm bank who allegedly supplied them with sperm belonging to a convicted criminal with mental health issues.
Three families in Canada are suing Xytex Corp and Canadian distributor Outreach Health for C$15.4m (£8.4m) in damages, with allegations including wrongful birth, failure to investigate and fraud.
According to the lawsuit, prospective clients were told that Donor 9623 was a gifted musician with an IQ of 160 who was pursuing a PhD in neuroscience engineering.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The claimants allege that instead, he was a 39-year-old convicted burglar with multiple serious mental health conditions.
None of this information was included in the profile created by the donor, who has fathered at least 36 children in the US, the UK and Canada, says the lawsuit. Xytex allegedly allowed the man to continue donating sperm until January 2016, despite being informed of his misleading profile in 2014.
"If proven, this takes this case from shocking to truly outrageous," James Fireman, the families' lawyer, told the Toronto Star.
The parents discovered their donor's identity when his email address was accidentally included in a message from Xytex. Using the internet and public records, they say they discovered the man had been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, grandiose delusions and schizophrenia, which is believed to have a strong genetic component.
In addition, they claim the donor spent eight months in prison after being convicted of burglary and had only just completed his undergraduate degree, 20 years after dropping out.
"He should not have done what he did, but the big problem is not with him," Angie Collins, one of the claimants, told the Star. "It's with companies that allowed him to donate and sold his sperm."
Ted Lavender, a lawyer representing Georgia-based Xytex, says the company is an "industry leader and complies with all industry standards".
"Pursuing claims in a court of law requires actual evidence and proof," he said in an email to The Guardian, dismissing the lawsuit as "unfounded allegations".
Referring to an earlier lawsuit that was dismissed by a Georgia court because the concept of "wrongful birth" is not recognised under that state's law, Lavender added: "Xytex looks forward to successfully defending itself from the new lawsuits with the same results as the original case."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What would it be like in jail for Trump if he's convicted?
Today's Big Question The Secret Service has begun grappling with how to protect a former president behind bars
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How much can you save shopping secondhand?
The Explainer Many Americans are buying pre-owned items to counteract the effects of inflation
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Downtown St. Louis is in a real estate 'doom loop'
Under the Radar The city is ripe with abandoned buildings and vacant lots, with its real estate market in dire straits
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published