Sperm donor mix-up girl awarded £35k in damages
A girl who may have fertility problems when she grows up because her mother was given abnormal donor sperm has been awarded £35,000 damages.
The four-year-old was born as a result of IVF treatment her mother received at the London Women's Clinic.
The girl was left with rare genetic defect that means she is likely to need IVF to screen out the abnormality.
Without this, she is at greater risk of miscarriage or giving birth to a profoundly disabled child.
The settlement compensates for injuries suffered and future medical expenses.
Nico Fabri, the solicitor for the London Women's Clinic in Harley Street, apologised to the mother and daughter for its breach of duty.
The mother's solicitor, Matthew Waite, said staff used a donor which had been labelled as normal despite it previously being screened and identified as abnormal.
The mother said: "Choosing to undergo IVF with an anonymous sperm donor was not a decision I made lightly, but I believed the London Women's Clinic was one of the leading fertility centres in the country and I spent £30,000 with the clinic expecting a high-level service."
She said when she found out about the mix-up, she was horrified.
"I have still not been given any information about why it happened which I find makes it difficult for me to move forward.
"I'm concerned that others may have been affected by the same mistake.
"If it was possible for the mix-up to happen with me, it could quite easily have happened to someone else."