American with schizophrenia pretended to be genius and handsome to father 36 children
'21.12.2020'
Source: Lenta.ru report
A schizophrenic from the United States, who has suicidal and criminal tendencies, decided to earn extra money by donating sperm. On the sperm bank questionnaire, he introduced himself as an athletic handsome man with a high IQ. His deception was revealed only after 14 years. During this time, he impregnated dozens of women and became biological father of 36 children. About the consequences of his lies - in the material "Lenta.ru".
Ideal donor
In 2000, at that time 23-year-old Chris Agless dropped out of college and decided to earn extra money by donating sperm. He worked as a waiter in the US state of Georgia, and in his spare time tried to excel at drumming.
“One of my roommates came across an ad in the student newspaper and thought I was a great candidate. It was a way to make some money. For me it was also a chance to get some kind of stability in life. In a sense, it was an honor for me to become a donor. You can say I felt special, ”said Chris Agless.
The young man contacted the Xytex sperm bank and filled out a donor questionnaire. In his profile, Agless indicated that he has a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience, completed a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and is working on a PhD in neuroengineering. He then completed a six-page medical history survey where he wrote that he was completely healthy, noting only that his father was color blind.
The clinic's database records a conversation between the staff and Agless.
“I dare say that your IQ is much higher than average,” said an Xytex employee.
"I am pleased to hear that. I know that I help people. I help to have a baby, and this is the best gift in the world. I am so grateful that I can become a donor, ”answered the 23-year-old boy.
Secret
Agless decided to keep quiet that in 1999 he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He noticed the first signs of the disease in high school. Before going to bed, he said, he heard voices repeating his name.
The American now insists that he did not have schizophrenia, but a temporary condition known as schizophreniform disorder. It has similar symptoms, but lasts no longer than six months. Nevertheless, the court documents indicate the diagnosis of schizophrenia, or schizoaffective psychosis.
Aglessa biomaterial was in high demand among clients due to its impressive profile. In his profile, it was said about the external resemblance to the actor Tom Cruise. The young man turned out to be a prolific donor and donated sperm up to twice a week.
In 2005, Aglessa was convicted of burglary. He pleaded guilty and spent eight months in prison. He also had suicidal tendencies: in 2014, he entered a shooting gallery and asked for a pistol to be rented in order to commit suicide.
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Floated to the surface
In 2014, Xytex Corp employees accidentally disclosed Agless's contact details and personal mail while talking to several families who used his donor sperm. Several curious clients wanted to get to know the biological father of their child and began to search for information about him on the Internet.
Clients were horrified when they learned that the intellectual and polyglot from the questionnaire was a schizophrenic with a prison past. Upon learning the truth, they feared that their children might have inherited mental disorders and criminal tendencies from their father.
When the clinic contacted Agless, he had a nervous breakdown. He repented of everything, went to the police station and admitted that he had deceived the employees of the sperm bank. Agless did not accuse the clinic of unlawful disclosure of personal data.
"I'm sorry"
Aglessa is now 43 years old. He illegally became the biological father of 36 children. He hopes that the families and children involved in this story can find the strength to forgive him.
“I am sorry that I betrayed their trust; it was a vile act, and I am not proud of it. I really feel terrible, ”he admits now.
He and his wife did not have children of their own.
“I've always wanted a child, but I doubt that I will ever be able to fulfill this dream,” Agless complained.
He dreams that one day his biological children will understand that he did not want to harm anyone, and will want to see him.
“Maybe I will not meet with all of them, but at least with some of them,” he expressed hope.
Injured
Since 2016, affected couples in the US, UK and Canada have filed a dozen lawsuits against a sperm bank that did not verify the donor's biography. Families blame the clinic for false presentation not only of Aglessa, but also of another donor. In each case, the decisions of the judges were different.
One of the victims, Wendy Norman of Peachtree City, used Aglessa biomaterial in 2002. She recalls how she was selecting a potential father for an unborn child and came across his profile.
“His biography seemed very interesting to me. Such a variety of hobbies, ”she admitted.
In front of her was the profile of a man with an athletic build, 193 centimeters tall. According to the description, he looked like Tom Cruise and had a rather high IQ - 160. As a result, Norman settled on this donor, successfully became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom she named Alex. She did not hide his biological father from the boy and showed him the donor profile on the clinic's website.
“It was a reason for me to be proud, because I went to the site and saw the questionnaire, which says that my father has this stupid high IQ, he did this, did this, achieved so much ...”, - said Alex Norman, biological son of Aglessa.
Norman and her son couldn't believe when they found out who this donor really was.
“It broke my heart,” Wendy admitted.
“It shocks you at first, and then you just refuse to believe it,” added her adult son.
The family worries that Alex may also be diagnosed with inherited schizophrenia. According to his mother, he has been suffering from a mental disorder since elementary school.
“He could grab me, scream or start throwing things. He left cracks in the walls, broke down doors, smashed mirrors and windows in the house, recalls the mother. "Our life with him was like a roller coaster."
Wendy Norman and her partner Janet are trying to sue the sperm bank. In November 2017, they filed a lawsuit, in which they accused the Xytex clinic and two of its employees of fraud, negligence, false advertising due to carelessness, as well as the sale of low-quality goods and violation of warranty obligations. Xytex refuses to admit guilt. Sperm bank representatives are convinced that clients do not have sufficient grounds to win in court.
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Whose side is the court on?
The Normans' statement reached the Georgia Supreme Court. According to the case file, Alex was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a genetic blood disease inherited from his father. In addition, in the past he was hospitalized for suicidal tendencies, which were also seen in his biological father.
Norman accused the sperm bank of advertising the profile of a criminal with mental disorders, posing as an educated, healthy and talented sperm donor. Judges were thrown into disarray when Xytex attorney Ted Lavender said the parents could not claim damages despite false advertising and non-compliance of the biomaterial sold.
“Why can't this case be treated as a standard case of consumer fraud? You advertised high-quality and expensive sperm ... Why doesn't the client have the right to demand money back? ” Nels Peterson, the judge, asked.
Lavender explained that the plaintiff not only wants to recover the roughly $ 1600 paid for the sperm, but is also seeking damages for Alex's lifelong care. However, their claim was interpreted as if the very birth inflicted trauma on the boy.
At first, the judges of the state of Georgia refused to grant the claim against the clinic, citing the 1990 precedent. The case concerned a lawsuit filed by parents against obstetricians. The plaintiff argued that doctors should have diagnosed the fetus with Down syndrome in advance, allowing the mother to terminate the pregnancy.
The trial court and the Court of Appeal intended to proceed with the case, but the Supreme Court concluded that the wrongful birth claim was not substantiated under Georgia law.
On September 28, 2020, the Georgia Court of Appeals appealed in part against the Supreme Court decision. A Fulton County judge invalidated all but one of the Normans' claims. A claim that the clinic provided false information about its goods and services was accepted for further consideration.
Xytex representatives continue to insist that the lawsuit raises the issue of wrongful birth, prohibited under a 1990 Georgia Supreme Court ruling. Judge Peterson emphasized that the position of the court remains unchanged regarding cases where the birth of a person can be considered as injury to him.
“The appellate court should not have invoked this precedent in all of the claims in the lawsuit, as some of the claims for damages do not necessarily indicate that childbirth was a trauma for him,” Peterson explained.
The Normans' court hearings are ongoing.
