Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Being Jerked Around

A Nassau County man who said he donated sperm to a female co-worker as a friendly gesture is legally considered the father and is financially liable for child support for the college-bound teenager, according to the Newsday article.

Nassau County Family Court Judge Ellen Greenberg ruled that despite the mother's willingness to have the child's DNA tested, the man was barred from seeking a paternity test to determine if he is truly the father because the results could have a "traumatic effect" upon the child, who is now 18 years old and lives in Oregon with the mother. Regardless of genetic evidence, the judge said the man's interactions with the child over the years had a patriarchal nature. Those interactions consisted of cards and gifts on birthdays, as well as approximately seven phone calls over the past 15 years.

"What's the saying? No good deed goes unpunished," said Deborah Kelly, a Garden City lawyer for the man, who acknowledged that he is named as the father on the child's birth certificate. Like all the involved parties, the man remains anonymous because of privacy concerns.

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