Ancestry.com is out here changing people’s lives—but it’s not always for the better.
According to the Washington Post, one woman who took the website’s DNA test discovered her biological father was not the man who had raised her; he was actually a now-retired fertility doctor who allegedly used his own sperm to impregnate her mother 36 years ago.
After Kelli Rowlette received the shocking news, she and her family filed a lawsuit against Dr. Gerald E. Mortimer for medical negligence, fraud, battery, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract.
According to the suit, Rowlette was not aware that her now-divorced parents had undergone artificial insemination after unsuccessful attempts at natural conception. Mortimer reportedly told the couple that the issue was caused by the husband’s low sperm count and the wife’s tipped uterus; so, he suggested that the wife be inseminated with a mix of the husband’s sperm and that of an anonymous donor to increase the changes of conception.
The couple agreed; however, they asked that the donor be a blued-eyed, brown-haired college student who was more than six feet tall. After Mortimer allegedly told the couple he had found a donor who matched the description, they went ahead with the procedure.
Unbeknownst to the couple, Mortimer actually used his own sperm.
The lawsuit states that the family has been “suffering immeasurably” since receiving the DNA results.
Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates of Idaho Falls is also listed as a defendant.
