LA Fertility Doctor Sued for Allegedly Using Wrong Sperm in 1986 Insemination

A prominent Los Angeles fertility doctor is facing a lawsuit alleging he inseminated a woman with the wrong sperm nearly four decades ago, upending a family's understanding of their own biology. Dr. Hal Danzer — co-founder of the Southern California Reproductive Center and a former faculty member at UCLA — allegedly used sperm from an unknown donor rather than the woman's husband during an artificial insemination procedure in 1986. The couple, filing anonymously, went on to have twin daughters that year and spent decades raising them while working multiple jobs.

The truth emerged in 2024 when one of the twins had a baby and routine DNA testing revealed the newborn was not genetically related to the grandfather — the man who had provided his sperm for the original insemination. Further investigation identified the biological father as Dennis Goldman, a sperm donor at Danzer's clinic who died of cancer at age 63 in 2014. Perhaps most startling: Goldman fathered at least 16 other children through the same clinic, meaning the twins discovered they have 16 half-siblings, all connected to Danzer's practice.

The family is suing Danzer on charges of fraud, medical battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, seeking unspecified damages through the Clarkson Law Firm. Their attorney Tracey Cowan described the emotional toll as severe, noting the couple struggles to enjoy time with their new grandchild because the baby serves as a constant reminder that no biological tie exists to the grandfather. Danzer did not respond to requests for comment. UCLA confirmed his unpaid faculty appointment ended in 2023, though his clinic biography had continued to reference the affiliation.