Sperm bank misleads Canadian families leading to lawsuit

An American sperm bank is facing lawsuits launched by seven Canadian families after falsely representing a donor. Outreach Health Services advertised that a particular donor was healthy despite clients eventually discovering he possessed a degenerative disease. What could this mean for the families involved? Will this case set a precedent for sperm bank facilitators in the future?

Disability lawyer James K Fireman, who represents the Canadian families from Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joins Devon Peacock on 980 CFPL to answer these questions and more.

What They Discussed

• How was Samfiru Tumarkin LLP made aware of this case? A previous case involving this company in association with a San Francisco-based firm Hersh & Hersh brought the situation to attention.
• The Canadian families involved with this case are spread out across the country; how were they made aware of the situation? The mothers who have conceived children by this donor have a Facebook group and communicate regularly. One of the mothers conducted some online sleuthing and discovered the donor’s identity and had her child undergo genetic testing.
• Do all the children who have been conceived by this donor possess this disorder? The number of children conceived by this donor is currently unknown, and some families have decided not to undergo genetic testing.
• What was the reaction from the families once they were made aware of the situation? Each family has had to deal with this situation in their own way however some clients have mentioned heightened anxiety over possible symptoms.
• How has the sperm bank reacted to this lawsuit? The claim was issued recently and there has been no response from Outreach Health Services.