TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A lawsuit by the state of Kansas to force a Topeka sperm donor to pay child support is on hold while a judge considers whether to remove herself from the case.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County District Judge Mary Mattivi had a 25-minute hearing Wednesday but didn’t issue a decision.
She said she needed to do research and read the lengthy affidavit submitted by an attorney for sperm donor William Marotta. There’s been no public explanation for the request for Mattivi to step aside.
The state argues Marotta must pay child support because he is the father of a 3-year-old girl born in 2009. Marotta argues that he donated his sperm to a lesbian couple and signed a contract waiving parental rights and responsibilities.