A Dutchman who is the center of a Netflix documentary is suing the streaming giant for misrepresentation and for exaggerating the number of children he has fathered. Jonathan Meijer has confirmed his legal action against Netflix in a TV talk show and said the documentary’s speculation that he could have fathered up to 3,000 children was sensationalist. “Five hundred and fifty, that’s the number I know for sure. “Anything above that is just speculation,” he said
Dutch courts last year ordered the 43-year-old to stop donating sperm to clinics, which he has done continuously since 2007. Clinical guidelines in the Netherlands recommend that donors do not father more than 25 children, but the courts found that Meijer was dishonest about the extent of his past donations, allowing him to continue unfettered. A judge said it was “plausible” that the high number of children he fathered could meet and even unwittingly engage in incest.
Reports indicate that when banned from donating in the Netherlands, Mr. Meijer continued to do so in other countries. The YouTuber and musician responded to claims he misled clinics and recipients, saying he “technically didn’t lie.” Meijer argues it is up to the clinics to warn donees “about the amount of offspring one donor will produce.”
The Netflix documentary suggests that the Dutchman became addicted to donating sperm and derived a sense of power from it. The donor, however, claims his actions are motivated by altruism. In a YouTube video in February, he said he was inspired to donate by a conversation with a friend, who told him he was infertile. He separately told his viewers that his family tree is healthy with no record of cancer or serious illnesses, and as such, donating sperm is a kind thing to do for childless families.
Nevertheless, friends and associates told the Netflix team that Meijer has an enormous and confusing ego and has struggled with his own identity for years. A woman named Patricia, who knew him from childhood, said that his long hair and beard were part of a narcissistic God complex.
