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- A woman, 35, filed a lawsuit against Dr. Morris Wortman of Rochester, New York.
- Wortman was accused of using his sperm to impregnate multiple patients.
- The woman allegedly discovered Wortman was her biological father after a DNA genealogy test.
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A woman filed a lawsuit against a New York-based fertility doctor, claiming he's her biological father and used his own sperm to impregnate patients without their consent.
According to the Associated Press, the 35-year-old woman accused Dr. Morris Wortman and his Rochester clinic, the Center for Menstrual Disorders, of medical malpractice, battery, infliction of emotional distress, negligence, fraud, and lack of informed consent.
The plaintiff wrote in the lawsuit that she is the daughter of a woman who received fertility treatments from Wortman in the 1980s, AP reported. The lawsuit said the plaintiff knew she was born in 1985 through artificial insemination and that Wortman was "revered" by her family for helping her mother conceive.
Wortman allegedly told the family that the sperm donor had been a medical student from the University of Rochester, but the plaintiff questioned Wortman's claim after taking a DNA genealogy test in 2016. AP reported that the woman discovered at least nine half-siblings who were also children of the sperm donor.
AP reported that the plaintiff's suspicions continued to grow, but she was a patient of Wortman and continued to visit him over nine years. Wortman performed breast and pelvic examinations and discussed the plaintiff's sex drive and similar personal issues, AP reported.
The plaintiff wrote in the lawsuit that Wortman also asked questions about her family, and at one point, he brought his wife into an appointment to meet the plaintiff.
The lawsuit alleged that Wortman said "You're a really good kid, such a good kid" aloud while tending to the plaintiff during an April appointment, AP reported.
Around this time, a half-sibling named David Berry had been in touch with the plaintiff for around four years following her genealogy test. The lawsuit wrote that separate DNA tests with Berry and Wortman's daughter from his first marriage confirmed the genetic link between the plaintiff, Berry, and Wortman, AP reported.
"An interesting dichotomy is feeling gratitude for your existence and knowing at the same time that you are the product of something that should have never happened," Berry, 36, told AP. "It became a tougher pill to swallow."
"On one hand you're grateful for your existence and the people you're sharing the experience with," Berry continued. "On the other, I don't know how you forgive the violation of confidence and trust that a woman puts into her physician in the most intimate of settings."
The Monroe County District Attorney's Office said it's unlikely that Wortman will face criminal charges due to the statute of limitations.
"While no victim has reached out yet, our appeals bureau did do some quick research and it appears that in reference to what has been made publicly available, any criminal action is barred by the statute of limitations," spokesperson Calli Marianetti told AP.
Representatives at the Center for Menstrual Disorders were not available for comment when contacted by Insider. An attorney for the plaintiff did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.