Two sisters say their understanding of their family history has been shattered after DNA results suggested the man they knew as their father may not be their biological parent — and that their real father could be their mother’s former fertility doctor.
Tasheena Greaves, 41, from North Dakota, and her sister Janae Nelson Raymond, 40, from Utah, were raised believing they were the daughters of Warren Nelson, now 87. That belief changed recently when genetic testing appeared to contradict what they had been told all their lives.
According to a lawsuit filed in North Dakota, the sisters were stunned to learn they may instead be the biological children of Dr. Dennis Lutz, the fertility physician who treated their mother, 81-year-old Jean Ann Nelson.
Jean Ann had turned to Lutz for help with infertility in the mid-1980s. The lawsuit says she became pregnant three times through artificial insemination procedures that were supposed to involve sperm from an anonymous donor combined with a sample from her husband. Her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, but she later gave birth to two daughters.
Tasheena arrived on Valentine’s Day in 1985, followed by Janae in May 1986.
The complaint alleges Lutz advised Jean Ann that blending donor sperm with Warren’s sample would improve her chances of conceiving. But instead, the lawsuit claims, he “secretly substituted his own genetic material during insemination procedures,” according to documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.
The suit also claims Lutz wrongly assured Jean Ann that any baby conceived would most likely be Warren’s biological child, despite the fact that such an outcome could not be scientifically guaranteed.
That assurance, the lawsuit argues, played a key role in Jean Ann’s decision as a young woman to move forward with artificial insemination in her hopes of becoming a mother.
Tasheena Greaves, 41, of North Dakota, and her sister Janae Nelson Raymond, 40, of Utah, recently found out that they were not their father’s daughter through a DNA test
Their mother, Jean Ann Nelson, 81, was artificially inseminated with donor and her husband’s sperm in the 1980s. Both daughters were born from her fertility doctor’s sperm, unbeknownst to her, she alleged in a lawsuit
At no point did Jean Ann consent to using Lutz’s alleged sperm while trying to get pregnant, she said in the complaint.
‘Dr Lutz’s conduct was not a mistake or a misunderstanding. It required deliberate deception, concealment, and abuse of medical authority,’ the complaint added.
‘Dr Lutz’s conduct was intentional, knowing, and undertaken with conscious disregard for Plaintiff’s rights, and was not the result of mistake, accident, or medical judgment,’ the complaint continued.
‘This case arises from one of the most serious breaches of trust that can occur in the physician-patient relationship.’
Decades later, a DNA test would reveal the truth, which caused the two sisters to go through an identity crisis, the court documents said.
‘The Nelson family is coming forward because they are appalled by the alleged conduct,’ their attorney, Kellen Bubach, told the Daily Mail in a statement.
‘For decades, the Nelson family did not know the truth… This case is about patient consent, reproductive autonomy, medical trust, and the right of children to know the truth about their genetic identity and medical history.
‘Because this matter is now pending in court, we will let the complaint speak for itself and will proceed through the legal process.’
Dr Dennis Lutz has admitted to using his sperm, but said it didn’t break fertility rules at the time and that Jean Ann had said she would not seek the donor’s identity, according to reports
The doctor responded to the civil lawsuit, stating that Jean Ann had consented to an anonymous donor and said she would not seek the donor’s identity, Valley News Live reported.
Lutz, who is the Gynecology Chair at the University of North Dakota, also acknowledged that Jean Ann had not consented to using his sperm, but his procedures ‘aligned with the relevant standard of care and state of fertility medicine at the time the care was rendered,’ the outlet reported.
He went on to say that he ‘did not act with the intent to deceive’ Jean Ann.
The University of North Dakota has since removed him from his position as chair and has notified the doctor that they plan on terminating his employment, Valley News Live reported.
The family is now demanding a trial by jury and damages of at least $50,000. Lutz has asked the court to dismiss the claim with prejudice.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Lutz’s attorney for comment.
