An Oregon couple is suing Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and Providence Health, claiming hospital workers “wrongfully inseminated” the wife with sperm from a stranger instead of her husband, resulting in the birth of a daughter with inherited medical issues. The lawsuit seeks $17 million in damages.
In a complaint filed Dec. 26, 2025, in Multnomah County Circuit Court, the couple—identified as C.W. and K.W.—say they were “stripped of the unifying bond of creating shared life” and are now “permanently reminded” that their firstborn was conceived by mistake.
The complaint states, “C.W. had to bear the humiliation, discomfort, and physical distress of carrying the pregnancy to term and delivering a child conceived due to the wrongful use of another male’s semen specimen. K.W. was stripped entirely of his biological fatherhood of the firstborn child with his wife.”
The couple underwent the fertility procedure at OHSU’s family planning unit in Portland in 1981. According to the lawsuit, a man identified as R.W., who had sought fertility treatment at OHSU with his spouse a year earlier, had his sperm “wrongfully” used for C.W. and K.W.’s insemination.
The couple reportedly did not learn of the error until less than two years before filing the lawsuit. Genetic testing revealed K.W. is not the child’s biological father, and R.W. also has a child with his own spouse.
The lawsuit accuses OHSU of attempting to “conceal or otherwise deny” the error and failing to properly investigate or notify patients after being informed of the claims. It alleges staff mishandled K.W.’s semen sample and lacked sufficient procedures to ensure samples were given to the correct patients.
The complaint also raises concerns that the foreign sperm used may not have been properly screened, potentially exposing both C.W. and her daughter to communicable diseases.
The couple’s attorneys argue that the alleged mistakes have caused ongoing mental, emotional, and physical suffering, including embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, and loss of enjoyment of life.
OHSU and Providence Health have declined to comment.