Sperm donor lied about criminal and mental health history lawsuit alleges

He was handsome and healthy, with several degrees and a genius-level IQ. On paper, Donor 9623 embodied the best genetics had to offer.

At least 36 children were born using his donated sperm.

According to a lawsuit filed by three families, it took almost 14 years before the donor’s true identity was revealed: A schizophrenic college dropout with a felony conviction.

Families that used his sperm are suing the Georgia-based sperm bank Xytex Cryo International, saying it should have done a better job of vetting its sperm donors.

Donor 9623, ‘one of the best’

Angela Collins and Elizabeth Hanson, who live near Ontario, Canada, began researching sperm donors in 2006.

After learning only three sperm banks were approved by their health insurance program, Health Canada, the couple chose Xytex.

In the civil lawsuit filed in Ontario, Collins says she called the company and asked specifically how well donors were vetted. She says she was told the vetting is so thorough she would ultimately know more about her Xytex sperm donor than she could ever find out about a potential donor she met in everyday life.

After poring through the donor profiles, Collins and Hanson settled on Donor 9623, based on his Xytex profile: an IQ of 160, multiple degrees in neuroscience and a clean health history.

The couple says Xytex employees told them this donor was among their best and his sperm was in such high demand that it was rarely available.

Collins gave birth to a son on July 19, 2007.

Seven years later, the couple learned the donor’s name after Xytex breached its own confidentially rules. In several emails to recipient families, the company mistakenly disclosed the donor’s identity.

Curious about the man whose DNA ran through their children, the families looked him up.

Their research left them in shock. All it took was a quick Google search, they said, something they allege Xytex never did.

The donor was a convicted felon and college dropout who was diagnosed as having schizophrenia in 2002, the lawsuit alleges.

Frightened by what they found, the families began researching the genetic risk for schizophrenia.Recent research has shown that interacting gene clusters can create between a 70% and 100% risk of developing the disorder.

The families allege they shared their discovery with the sperm bank, but the donor remained on its database.

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