ARLINGTON — Former Arlington police officer Ronnie Coleman is an eight-time Mr. Olympia winner. But he believes it was a moment of weakness when he agreed to donate sperm so a friend could have a baby.
"Wasn't nothing written down," Coleman said. "We'd been friends 14 years at the time. I never thought it would come to what it came to."
Coleman said he used a California sperm bank in 2006, and made it clear he wanted only to be a donor — not a parent.
But he said he soon received demands for child support for the two surviving triplets after the sperm recipient gave birth.
"I feel betrayed in a way," Coleman said.
Coleman, who has two young children with his girlfriend, said he's paid many thousands of dollars in child support payments to the other woman, along with about $400,000 in legal fees to free himself from those payments.
A California court of appeals recently ruled in his favor. We were unable to reach the woman's attorney.
"I think what's happened is, medicine has advanced much faster than the law has advanced," said Arlington attorney Lauren Duffer.
She handles complicated paternity cases. Duffer said the contracts for donors should be extensive, with clear intent at every step in the process.
"The main thing is medical professionals and legal professionals communicating," Duffer said.
As for Ronnie Coleman, he said the financial strain has nearly broken him. And he said he would never even consider being a sperm donor in the future.