Doctor who admitted to swapping donor's sperm ... ordered to pay woman $5.25 million
A former Vermont doctor who admitted that he used his own sperm instead of that of a selected donor to impregnate a Florida woman back in 1977 was ordered by a federal judge this week to pay her $5.25 million in damages.
According to reports, Cheryl Rousseau and her husband, Peter, wanted a child, but because Peter had previously undergone an irreversible vasectomy, they were forced to seek out a donor. And, the reports said, the couple went to great lengths to find the perfect donor, ultimately settling on a “medical student that resembled Peter and met specific characteristics” that Cheryl had put in place.
The couple went to Dr. John Coates, in Berlin, Vermont, in March of 1977 for the artificial insemination procedure. And, for four decades, that was where the story ended. But, when the couple’s daughter had a DNA test done in 2018, it determined that Coates was the father.
The doctor initially, reportedly, denied in a 2019 deposition that he was the father. But, according to reports, after the DNA was confirmed, Coates admitted that he used his own sperm instead of that of the selected medical student in the procedure. Coates, who was retired, also had his medical license permanently revoked by the Vermont Medical Practice Board.
Dr. John Coates
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/04/doctor-who-admitted-to-swapping-donors-sperm-with-his-own-in-insemination-procedure-ordered-to-pay-woman-525-million-reports.html
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