A Dutch man who claims to have fathered 550 children using sperm donations said he was suing Netflix over its hit documentary ‘The Man with 1,000 Sons’, which he described as ‘sensationalist’.
Jonathan Meijer, 43, announced on a late-night talk show Tuesday that he would take legal action against the documentary, which he said defamed him and the families he helped create.
He said the number of children the documentary said he might have had (up to 3,000) was incorrect.
“Five hundred and fifty, that’s the number I know for sure. Anything higher than that is pure speculation,” he said.
“That’s why I have started a case to fight against these lies,” he said, describing the programme, which was broadcast without his participation, as “sensationalist.”
Jonathan Meijer, 43, (pictured), announced on a late-night talk show on Tuesday that he would take legal action against Netflix.
He claims to have fathered 550 children thanks to sperm donations
He said he wanted the documentary to be withdrawn for the sake of children “who are being recognized on the street.”
Meijer made headlines last year when a court ordered him to stop donating after helping produce between 550 and 600 children since he began donating in 2007.
Dutch clinical guidelines state that a donor should not father more than 25 children in 12 families.
The court said Meijer had misinformed the families about previous donations, meaning the children were “part of a vast kinship network with hundreds of half-siblings they did not choose.”
The court found it “quite plausible” that this could cause psychosocial consequences for the children, including identity problems and fears of accidental incest.
Meijer said Tuesday that it had stopped donating sperm in 2019, except to families who wanted a second or third child with its help.
He said he wanted the documentary to be withdrawn for the sake of children “who are being recognized on the street.”
