University of British Columbia
A lawsuit has been filed and will seek class action status against the University of British Columbia. The suit was filed by a Burnaby man who was having his sperm entrusted to cold storage at the andrology lab in UBC's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology there before undergoing radiation treatment for cancer. The sperm was destroyed during a blackout at the school caused by a power failure in May 2002, and the suit is claiming negligence on the part of UBC. According to the suit, "The damage to the sperm samples was caused by the negligent conduct or inadvertence of the defendant or its employees. That conduct or inadvertence amounted to negligence." The plaintiff claims that the school should have ensured that the sperm was stored properly and that it was provided with a constant and backup power supply. The suit further claims that UBC did not inform any sperm bank donors of the damage for eight months after the blackout.
