Damages awarded in case of doctor who used own sperm 'excessive'

A judge in Vermont has ruled that a $5.25 million award of damages to a woman inseminated by her doctor was excessive.

Following a trial in March 2022, in which a jury found Dr John Coates III had used his own sperm to inseminate his patient Cheryl Rousseau in 1977, Dr Coates was ordered to pay Rousseau $5 million in punitive damages and $250,000 in compensatory damages (see BioNews 1139). Dr Coates filed a motion arguing the damages awarded were excessive in response to which a federal judge has reduced the sum payable to $2.2 million.

In response to the judgment, Celeste Laramie, Rousseau's lawyer, said: 'we're disappointed the [judge] saw fit to reduce [the damages], but [the judge's] logic, as with any of his opinions, is very well thought out.'

Judge William K Sessions III acknowledged in his judgment the 'reprehensible nature of [Dr Coates'] conduct' and 'significant emotional distress' suffered by Rousseau. Nevertheless, Sessions held that both the punitive and compensatory damages were too high.

Sessions ordered the original sum of $250,000 be reduced to $200,000 with the latter figure being 'top of the range for significant emotional distress damages'. He further ruled that the ratio between punitive damages and compensatory damages was 'impermissibly high', noting that a ratio between compensatory damages to punitive damages of 10:1 was the 'outer limit'. As such, Sessions ruled that the punitive damages should therefore be $2 million, ten times the reduced compensatory damages.

The original lawsuit arose in 2018 following the results of a genetic test that showed Dr Coates is the genetic father of Rousseau's daughter, despite Dr Coates having told Rousseau that the sperm donor would be an unnamed medical student.

Dr Coates gave testimony under oath in 2019 that he had not used his own sperm in any insemination procedures, but subsequently admitted to this following DNA confirmation of the genetic link to Rousseau's daughter.

Dr Coates' medical licence was revoked by the Vermont Board of Medical practice In February 2022 (see BioNews 1132).

A further lawsuit filed by another former patient making similar allegations that Dr Coates had used his own sperm to inseminate her was brought in 2021 and remains pending.