Summary: An appeals court has ruled that actor Jason Patric is a father, not just a sperm donor, to an IVF-conceived child.
A California appeals court has ruled for the second time that Jason Patric is legally the parent of his son, who was conceived through IVF. However, he may not be entitled to custody, The Hollywood Reporter said.
In 2009, the actor donated sperm to his ex-girlfriend Danielle Schreiber, and after she gave birth to a son, Patric developed a father-son relationship with him and requested joint custody.
Before the sperm donation, the Sleepers actor and Schreiber dated for years and during that time they actively tried to conceive. The couple broke up in 2008, and Schreiber considered going to an anonymous sperm bank but Patric begged her to allow him to provide the sperm. In a handwritten note, he asked her to choose him even though he had doubts about how fit he would be to actually act as a father.
After Schreiber gave birth, the couple reunited in 2010, shortly after their son’s first birthday party. However, the couple had problems and broke up soon after, and in the summer of 2012, the custody battle began.
The first ruling in this case came in 2014, and the family court stated that relevant code prevented Patric from establishing parentage. Patric appealed the decision, and the appellate court stated that the code precluded a parent from establishing paternity based on their biological connection.
Schreiber appealed that decision, and on Thursday, justices Thomas Willhite and Nora Manella and presiding justice Norman Epstein issued a 55-page opinion on how the couple’s romantic history leading up to their child’s birth made this case more than just a sperm donor wanting rights to his child.
“The fact that Jason initially rejected the idea of being a father is irrelevant because – with Danielle’s encouragement and permission – he slowly developed a father-son relationship with [his son],” the decision said. “The state has an interest in protecting those kinds of relationships, even when they are belatedly developed, because they “‘give young children social and emotional strength and stability.'”
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Photo courtesy of NBC News