A Vermont jury awarded a Florida woman over $5 million in damages after she accused her doctor of impregnating her with his own sperm during an artificial insemination procedure, according to The Associated Press.
The plaintiff, Cheryl Rousseau, received $250,000 in compensatory damages and a whopping $5 million in punitive damages from Dr. John Coates III, according to NBC News.
The original lawsuit, filed in 2018 in Vermont, alleged that Coates used his own sperm rather than a donor’s to impregnate Rousseau since her husband, Peter Rousseau, would not be able to provide sperm given his irreversible vasectomy. (RELATED: Families Offered Millions After Fertility Doctor Used His Own Sperm To Impregnate Patients)
“The Complaint brings several causes of action, including medical malpractice, breach of contract, fraud, battery, and a claim under the Vermont Consumer Protection Act (‘VCPA’),” according to the lawsuit.
Cheryl Rousseau sued Dr. John Coates III in 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, accusing him of medical negligence, among other allegations.
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The artificial insemination was conducted in March 1977 to give the Rousseau family a child.
The family discovered what occurred when their grown daughter went searching for information about her biological father through DNA tests, which determined Coates was the sperm donor, according to the AP.
Celeste Laramie, Rousseau’s attorney, claimed Coates testified under oath in 2019 at his deposition that he has not used his own sperm in a medical insemination process but admitted that he had used his own sperm after DNA confirmed he was the father of the child, according to NBC News.
“The jury through its punitive damages verdict sent a message to any physicians who might think about lying to their patients or using their own semen to inseminate their patients,” said Laramie in an email Wednesday, according to the AP. “Such behavior will have serious consequences.”
Coates has since retired from his medical practice, and the Vermont Medical Practice Board permanently revoked his license to practice in February, according to the AP.