An Illinois sperm bank faces a lawsuit from a woman who said she ordered a vial from a white donor but was inseminated with sperm from an African-American donor.
The lawsuit filed in Cook County by Jennifer Cramblett of Uniontown, Ohio, claims she and her partner Amanda Zinkon chose sperm from a Caucasian donor, labeled No. 380, from Midwest Sperm Bank in Chicago in 2011.
Cramblett was pregnant by December of that year.
During her pregnancy, Cramblett and Zinkon contacted the sperm bank to order more vials from the same donor in April 2012. That was when they learned there had been a mix-up.
Cramblett had been inseminated with a vial from donor No. 330, not 380. Donor No. 330 was an African-American man.
Cramblett gave birth to a daughter, Payton, in August 2012.
The lawsuit says the couple loves their daughter very much but that they are concerned about problems the child might face.
“Jennifer lives each day with fears, anxieties and uncertainty about her future and Payton’s future,” the lawsuit documents said. Those fears included living in their “all-white community” and “often unconsciously insensitive family,” as well as attending an all-white school.
The lawsuit asked for damages in excess of $50,000.
Citing pending litigation, an attorney representing Midwest Sperm Bank said they could not comment on the situation.