More than $5 million has been awarded in compensatory and punitive damages to a woman in the USA, whose doctor inseminated her with his own sperm.
Dr John Coates had his medical licence permanently revoked by the Vermont Board of Medical Practice last month, following an investigation which found he had used his own sperm to inseminate patient Cheryl Rousseau in 1977 and another patient in 1978, and then lied about this to the Board (see BioNews 1132). The retired doctor has now been ordered to pay $5 million to Rousseau for punitive damages and $250,000 for compensatory damages.
In an email to Associated Press, the couple's lawyer Celeste Laramie said: 'The jury through its punitive damages verdict sent a message to any physicians who might think about lying to their patients or using their own semen to inseminate their patients.... Such behaviour will have serious consequences.'
Dr Coates faces a further lawsuit seeking damages of $75,000 from the other couple who presented evidence to the Vermont Board of Medical Practice, over use of his own sperm for fertility treatment. Both couples allege that they were told donor sperm from a medical student would be used for their treatment.
The original lawsuit had been launched when the Rousseau's child had taken a genetic test, and then used websites Ancestry and 23andMe to trace her genetic father, only to discover that this was Dr Coates – her parents' former doctor. He had refused to take a genetic test when requested to by the Board, and while acknowledging the findings of Rousseau's daughter, told the Board that he had no memory of inseminating any patients with his own sperm.
In the court hearing on 28 March 2022, he admitted that he had used his own sperm, when faced with evidence from a court-ordered DNA test that showed with 99.99 percent certainty that he was the genetic father of Rousseau's child.
The jury found that Dr Coates was in breach of contract, had failed to obtain informed consent, and had committed a battery.
The original lawsuit had sought damages for Rousseau's husband as well, but the judge found that he had not been able to prove he had suffered damages, so his claims were not presented to the jury.
Sources and References
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Woman handed $5,000,000 after doctor used his own sperm instead of donor's
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Woman who accused Vermont doctor of inseminating her with his own sperm instead of donor's is awarded $5.25 million in damages by jury: Daughter, now 44, tracked down physician through DNA test
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Florida woman impregnated by doctor’s sperm awarded $5.25M in damages by jury
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Jury awards over $5M in suit against Vermont doctor who used his own sperm to impregnate a woman
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Jury gives $5.25 million to woman impregnated by fertility doctor's sperm
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