$30 Million Lawsuit launched against sperm bank

Seven Canadian families are launching a $30 million lawsuit against the sperm bank Outreach Health Services in the United States. The families are alleging that the bank did not conduct a proper background check on a donor who possessed a potentially harmful genetic condition.

Disability lawyer James K Fireman at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joins the John Oakley show to discuss the case further.

What They Discussed

• In layman’s terms, is the premise of the lawsuit false advertising by the sperm bank? Essentially this is false advertising. The donor was proposed to be someone with advanced education and a healthy individual however none of that was true.
• Are there more families out there that could be represented in this lawsuit? In Canada there are seven families however there are more families that have used this donor that are not necessarily Canadian.
• How was this case discovered? The mothers who used this donor were connected through a Facebook group and discovered the identity of the donor online.
• Will this genetic marker require constant medical attention for the children who have it? The children conceived by this donor will have to constantly be monitored for symptoms of this disease.
• How do you put a monetary figure to a situation like this? It is a very difficult task and costs will have to be speculative despite how hard it is to quantify.
• What is the original ask for damages? A statement of claim is made on behalf of each family; the most is asked that is available.
• Could this be considered a criminal case as well? This lawsuit not currently a criminal case and if it were to become so, it would likely take place in the United States.