Netflix ordered to pay $385,000 for outing woman as daughter of fertility doctor
- Lori Kennard sued Netflix after her identity was revealed in a documentary without consent.
- The documentary detailed the unethical practices of Donald Cline who fathered 94 children using his own sperm.
- Kennard was awarded $385,000 as the court recognized the severe harm to her reputation.
In Indiana, Lori Kennard filed a lawsuit against Netflix in 2022 after the streaming service publicly identified her as the daughter of Donald Cline, a disgraced fertility doctor. The documentary titled 'Our Father' detailed Cline's unethical practices of using his own sperm to father children with fertility patients during the 1970s and 80s, affecting at least 94 children. Kennard alleged that she was assured by Blumhouse Productions, the documentary's producer, that her name and face would not be included in the final cut. Despite this assurance, her face was shown, leading to her public exposure as one of Cline's offspring. Subsequently, Kennard suffered significant harm to her reputation, emotional distress, and embarrassment due to this outing. A jury recognized her claims and concluded that Kennard had kept her connection to the case a closely guarded secret until the documentary aired, ultimately awarding her $385,000 in damages, underscoring the severity of the breach of her privacy. This case serves as a vital reminder of the ethical responsibilities that filmmakers and media companies hold when dealing with sensitive personal information, particularly in documentaries that explore controversial topics and historical abuses. Consequently, Netflix's loss in court highlights important discussions around informed consent and the impact of revealing personal histories that may not be publicly known.