Netflix Ordered to Pay $385,000 to Woman Outed in Documentary as Secret Child of Fertility Doctor

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer An Indiana jury on Thursday ordered Netflix to pay $385,000 to a woman who was outed as a child of notorious fertility doctor Donald Cline in a documentary about the case.

The woman, Lori Kennard, was one of three “secret children” who sued the streaming service in 2022 after their names were displayed on screen in “Our Father.” The film explored how Cline secretly fathered 94 children, which came to light decades later when some of them sent DNA samples to 23andMe.

After a four-day trial in federal court in Indianapolis, the jury ruled in favor of Kennard on Thursday evening. The eight-member jury refused to grant any damages to another plaintiff, Sarah Bowling.

The claims of the third woman were dismissed before trial. The women sued for “public disclosure of private facts,” alleging that they suffered emotional distress and were fearful of social consequences due to their paternity being revealed. “This is a precedential result,” said Robert MacGill, the plaintiffs’ attorney, on Friday. “The jury verdict confirms how Americans are protected against invasions of privacy by filmmakers.” Netflix has argued that the women’s names appeared only fleetingly, and that they had given up their claim to privacy by joining a closed Facebook group for Cline’s secret children and by posting about the case on social media.