Joseph Laedtke Heider (WISN).
A Wisconsin fertility specialist is accused in a new lawsuit of misleading a patient about the identity of her sperm donor, allegedly telling her the sample came from a young medical student when, in reality, he was the donor himself.
Mary Ellen Lukezich and her son, Joseph Laedtke Heider, have filed suit against Dr. Frederick Dettmann in Milwaukee Circuit Court, bringing fresh attention to claims of fertility fraud decades after the alleged insemination took place.
Heider, who is now in his 40s, says he uncovered the truth in 2024 after submitting a DNA sample to Ancestry.com. The results allegedly revealed that Dettmann — not an anonymous donor — was his biological father, according to the lawsuit obtained by local ABC affiliate WISN.
Dettmann, who is now 91 and retired from medical practice, has rejected the allegations through his attorneys in a statement provided to local news outlets.
“The events referenced are alleged to have occurred almost 50 years ago,” the statement said. “Dr. Dettmann has no independent recollection of the individuals making these allegations and is unaware of any evidence supporting the claims being asserted.”
The post ‘Entire identity is built on a lie’: Fertility clinic doctor allegedly told woman her sperm donor was an ‘anonymous medical student’ — but lawsuit says he was the biological father first appeared on Law & Crime.
