Sharon Hayes, a 67-year-old woman from Hauser, Idaho, is taking legal action against her former fertility doctor.
Hayes and her then-husband had faced difficulty conceiving and turned to Washington-based obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. David Claypool for assistance, according to the Associated Press (AP). Hayes alleged that without her knowledge, Claypool inseminated her with his own sperm when she sought fertility treatment in 1989, the outlet reported, citing the complaint filed Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court.
Hayes had requested an anonymous donor. Claypool allegedly informed her the donor selection would be based on specific physical traits she’d selected, and he assured her any potential health and genetic issues with the donor would be checked out beforehand, according to AP. Each treatment allegedly cost $100, and Claypool said the cash funds would go towards the college or medical students who donated sperm, the outlet reported, citing the lawsuit. (RELATED: Woman Gets $5.25 Million After Doctor Used His Own Sperm To Impregnate Her)
It’s the latest in a string of such cases brought as at-home DNA sampling enables people to learn more about their ancestry. https://t.co/3KdxOXBYV6
— The Press Democrat (@NorthBayNews) October 27, 2023
The alleged misconduct came to light when Hayes’ 33-year-old daughter, Brianna Hayes, discovered her biological father’s identity through DNA testing and ancestry website 23andMe in 2022, the outlet reported. “It’s been an identity crisis, for sure,” Brianna told AP. “This was hidden from me my whole life. I felt traumatized for my mom, and the fact that I’m a product of his actions is off-putting.”
Sharon Hayes’ lawsuit includes allegations of fraud and medical malpractice, as well as allegedly violating state consumer protection law relating to “his scheme to charge cash for his own sperm, while he was representing it was a donor’s sperm,” Hayes’ attorney, RJ Ermola, told AP.
Brianna said she also discovered she has at least 16 other half-siblings in the area. AP’s attempts to reach Claypool by phone were unsuccessful and his lawyer, Drew Dalton, declined to comment, telling the outlet he hadn’t spoken with Claypool yet. While Dalton told The Seattle Times the matter had been in mediation, Claypool has said he had no knowledge of the allegations and that he does not know Hayes. He also noted he ceased practicing in 2005 and expressed surprise, saying, “I know people [past patients] are very happy … but this is the first I’ve heard of anything in 40 years.”