North Dakota fertility specialist sued for allegedly using his own sperm on patients

Jean Ann Nelson, an 81-year-old from Mandan, North Dakota, alleges that Dennis Lutz, a Minot obstetrician-gynecologist, used his own sperm to fertilize her in three separate attempts during the 1980s, contrary to her consent for an anonymous donor. The claim emerged when her 41-year-old daughter Tasheena Greaves learned from a DNA test that Lutz was her biological father, prompting emotional distress for the family. The complaint, filed in the North Central Judicial District, accuses Lutz of deception and seeks over $50,000 for loss of reproductive autonomy and identity-related harm.

Lutz, who chairs the OB-GYN department at the University of North Dakota, maintains that he provided genetic material with the patient’s consent and complied with the standards of that era. The university, through spokesperson David Dodds, announced steps to dismiss him. Legal experts note that “sperm mixing” does not increase the likelihood of a partner’s paternity and that similar fertility fraud cases have surfaced nationwide.