Lawsuit Alleges Hospital’s Fertility Error Led to Child’s Inherited Medical Issues from Unidentified Donor

An Oregon couple has filed a lawsuit claiming that a hospital mistakenly used sperm from an unknown donor, rather than the husband, during a fertility procedure. This error allegedly led to the birth of their daughter, who now suffers from inherited medical issues linked to the biological father, according to court documents.

The couple, referred to in the lawsuit as C.W. and K.W., argue that they were deprived of the experience of bringing a child into the world together and are constantly reminded of this mistake. They are seeking $17 million in damages from the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and Providence Health.

“C.W. endured the emotional and physical challenges of pregnancy and childbirth, only to learn the child was conceived with another man’s sperm,” the lawsuit states. “Meanwhile, K.W. was denied the opportunity to be the biological father of their firstborn child.”

The incident reportedly occurred in 1981 when the couple visited OHSU for a fertility procedure. Documents reveal that a man, identified as R.W., had also sought treatment at the same facility a year prior, and his sperm was allegedly misused in the couple’s procedure.

The couple was unaware of the mix-up until nearly two years before they filed their lawsuit on December 26, 2025, in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

“C.W. was thrilled to become pregnant, giving birth to their daughter, A.P.,” the complaint details. “The couple lovingly raised A.P. as their own, never suspecting that OHSU or Providence had mistakenly used donor sperm during the procedure.”

Genetic testing later revealed K.W. is not A.P.’s biological father. The alleged dad, R.W., also had a child with his spouse, according to the complaint.

OHSU is accused of attempting to “conceal or otherwise deny that they wrongfully inseminated C.W.,” the complaint says. “Further, OHSU has failed to properly investigate and notify its patients of medical errors after being placed on notice of plaintiffs’ claims.”

The parents say OHSU’s staff took possession of K.W.’s semen sample and failed to ensure “proper chain of custody in multiple regards.” They propose that K.W.’s sample could have been used to inseminate a wrong recipient, as well.

“OHSU’s and/or Providence’s procedures (if any) were woefully insufficient to ensure semen specimens were accurately received by the intended recipient,” the complaint alleges, noting how OHSU maintained “professional affiliations, agencies and relationships” with other medical facilities, entities and providers for the facilitation of medical care and fertility procedures for patients, including Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, which is owned and operated by Providence Health.

“As a result of the above-described conduct, plaintiffs have suffered and continue to suffer mental and emotional anguish, physical pain, emotional distress, physical manifestations of emotional distress including embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, disgrace, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life that have prevented and will continue to prevent plaintiffs from performing daily activities and obtaining the full enjoyment of life,” the couple’s lawyers say. “It remains unknown whether defendants performed any screening on the foreign donor prior to improperly using the donor’s material thereby exposing C.W. and A.P. to communicable diseases.”

OHSU and Providence did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment on Tuesday. Both declined to comment when reached by local media outlets.