An Idaho woman is suing her fertility doctor, 81-year-old Dr. David R. Claypool, after discovering that he is the biological father of her 34-year-old daughter.
The woman, Sharon Hayes, alleges that Claypool used his own sperm instead of anonymous donors during artificial insemination procedures.
The lawsuit accuses Claypool of fraud, failure to obtain consent, and violation of consumer protection laws. (Trending: It’s Time For Donald Trump To Drop Out)
Hayes and her daughter learned about the truth when they received genetic profiles from ancestry services.
“Claypool… told Plaintiff Hayes that he would obtain donor genetic material from anonymous donors such as college and/or medical students who physically resembled… Hayes’ husband at the time,” read the suit filed in Spokane County and reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Hayes had accused Claypool of fraud, failure to obtain consent in violation of state medical malpractice law and violation of Washington’s consumer protection law for his “scheme to charge cash for his own sperm, while he was representing it was a donor’s sperm.”
Per the lawsuit, Claypool’s “physical characteristics were materially different than those of… Hayes’ husband.”
It is unclear if other alleged children of Claypool’s mothers are pursuing legal action. (Trending: Judge Declines To Recuse From Trump 2024 Ballot Case)
Claypool has faced other lawsuits in the past, but documents from cases before 2005 are not available online.
Hayes’ daughter has experienced health issues and has not met her birth father.
“I was trying to see what my predispositions are for further issues,” Brianna told the outlet. “What could be in my genetics? I was just trying to be informed.
Claypool has not practiced medicine since 2005. The case highlights the issue of “fertility fraud,” with more than 50 fertility doctors in the US being accused of similar actions.
Assisted reproduction is largely unregulated in Washington State, where the incident occurred.
“It’s been an identity crisis, for sure,” Brianna said. “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.”
Brianna said her mother “feels an immense guilt for putting [her daughter] in this situation.”
“I told her ‘This wasn’t you at all – you went through all the appropriate channels to do what you needed to. You were just being a mom, wanting to be a loving mother,” Brianna said. “She’s a puddle this morning.”
“I know people are very happy, but this is the first I’ve heard of anything in 40 years,” Claypool told the outlet.
