Doctor Facing Lawsuit For Allegedly Using His Own Sperm To Impregnate His Patient 40 Years Ago

A woman has filed a lawsuit against a former professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of a fertility clinic, claiming that she was allegedly inseminated with his sperm over forty years ago.

In 1980, Sarah Depoian and her husband sought the assistance of Dr. Merle Berger to aid them in conceiving a child, according to the lawsuit. They claim that Berger assured them he would utilize the sperm of a medical resident who bore a resemblance to Depoian’s husband and had no prior knowledge of them.

The artificial insemination led to a successful pregnancy, and as a result, Depoian’s daughter, Carolyn Bester, was born in January 1981.

In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Depoian claimed that Dr. Berger introduced his own sperm into her as a patient, concealed his serious wrongdoing, and hindered her from pursuing legal action against him during that period.

In 2022, Bester bought DNA kits from Ancestry.com and 23&Me to delve into her family’s heritage. When she received the test results, Bester discovered she has no biological connection to her father. Instead, the results indicated a link to Dr. Berger’s granddaughter and second cousin.

“To say I was shocked when I figured this out would be an extreme understatement,” Bester said. “It feels like reality has shifted. I just want to say how proud I am of my mom for speaking out, and I’m honored to stand by her side.”

Nevertheless, when Depoian reached out to Berger after discovering his alleged actions, the complaint asserts that “Dr. Berger did not deny that he inserted his own sperm into Ms. Depoian’s body.” Depoian is now pursuing compensation for her injuries in an amount she deems appropriate, and has also requested a jury trial.

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