INDIANAPOLIS — A federal court in Indianapolis ordered Netflix to pay $385,000 to an Indiana woman it identified as a child of fertility doctor Donald Cline.
The original complaint the woman brought against Netflix, which was filed in Marion County Superior Court, indicated she was outed as one of Cline's secret children when the streaming giant released a documentary titled "Our Father."
The original cause number attached the Marion County filings is included in the federal court documents, indicating both suits pertain to the same case. Original filings can be found here.
Per the original complaint, the woman's photo and name appeared in the documentary.
In the complaint, the woman's attorneys claimed the documentary's producers promised anonymity to Cline's secret children who did not want to be identified during the film.
The woman's attorneys also alleged that the photographs and names of several secret children were blurred in the documentary. According to the complaint, the complainant was not given those same protections.
Per the complaint, the woman suffered "severe harm" to her reputation. She also claimed to have been distressed, embarrassed and emotionally traumatized by the documentary.
Beyond being outed in the film, the woman was also identified in social media posts promoting the documentary, according to the complaint.
The complaint was initially filed in May 2022. Court records filed Friday indicate a jury reached a verdict in the case on Thursday.
Two plaintiffs were originally included in the lawsuit. In its verdict, the jury specified only one of the plaintiffs was owed compensatory damages by Netflix.
The jury delivered a verdict in favor of Netflix in the case of the second woman included in the lawsuit. The orders handed down by the court offered little clarification on exactly why the jury sided in favor of one victim but not the other.
The documentary at the center of the lawsuit examined the case of Cline and his secret children. The film came after a FOX59/CBS4 investigation in 2016 revealed Cline had used his own sperm to impregnate women who were patients at his clinic.
The report also indicated that Cline lied to some of his patients about the source of the sperm he used to impregnate them.
The investigation showed that Cline didn't believe he was fathering children when using his own sperm. Rather, he thought he was helping families who could not conceive their own children.
Cline pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice in 2017. During a criminal investigation, Cline admitted to using his own sperm to impregnate his patients. He also told investigators that he initially tried to intentionally mislead them.
Despite his confession, Cline did not receive any prison time. Cline did, however, pay more than $1.3 million during various civil suits brought against him.
In an interview with FOX59 and CBS4, Cline estimated that he had used his own sperm for insemination 50 times.
The jury in the case involving Netflix and one of Cline's secret children has been discharged and released, as its final judgment has been declared.