A couple from Oregon have filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against a hospital, alleging that staff used a stranger's sperm during a fertility procedure over four decades ago, leading to a lifetime of emotional distress and medical complications for their family.
The Shocking Discovery After Four Decades
Identified in court papers as C.W. and K.W., the parents claim they only uncovered the truth less than two years ago, 44 years after bringing their first child home. According to a lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on 26 December 2025, genetic testing revealed that K.W. was not the biological father of their daughter, identified as A.P.
The couple's ordeal began in 1981 when they were referred to the family planning unit at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland for fertility treatment. The procedure was supposed to involve insemination using K.W.'s semen. However, the legal complaint alleges that staff instead used "foreign semen" from another patient, a man identified as R.W., who had sought treatment at the hospital with his spouse around a year earlier.
Alleged Negligence and Lasting Consequences
The lawsuit paints a picture of profound and lasting harm. It states that C.W. endured the physical and emotional journey of pregnancy and childbirth, only to later learn the child was not biologically linked to her husband. K.W., meanwhile, was "stripped entirely of his biological fatherhood" and denied the chance to create a child with his wife.
The complaint further alleges that the error has had serious health implications. Their daughter has suffered from "medical issues that were inherited" from her biological father. This raises alarming questions about whether OHSU performed any proper screening on the donor sperm, potentially exposing both mother and child to communicable diseases.
A Multi-Million Dollar Claim and Alleged Cover-Up
The couple are now suing both Oregon Health and Science University and Providence Health for a staggering $17 million (approximately £8.8 million) in damages. They cite severe and ongoing mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Furthermore, the lawsuit accuses OHSU of attempting to "conceal or otherwise deny" the mistake after it came to light. It claims the hospital failed to properly investigate the incident or notify other patients who may have been affected by similar errors. The legal filing suggests that K.W.'s semen sample may also have been mistakenly used to inseminate another patient, citing a failure in the chain of custody for such specimens.
As of now, both OHSU and Providence Health have declined to comment on the allegations. The case highlights a catastrophic breach of trust in fertility treatment, the consequences of which have unfolded over an entire lifetime.
