On April 13, 2015, a same-sex married couple filed this lawsuit against Utah in the District Court of the District of Utah. Suing under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction requiring the defendant to apply the relevant sections of the Utah Uniform Parentage Act to female spouses of women who give birth through assisted reproduction using donor sperm in the same way they apply the assisted-reproduction statutes to male spouses in the same situation. Specifically, the plaintiffs sought an order requiring the defendant to recognize both of them as legal parents of their child and to issue a birth certificate for the child that identifies them both as legal parents.

On July 22, 2015, the District Court (Judge Dee Benson) issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the defendant from enforcing the sections of its Uniform Parentage Act at issue in a way that differentiates between male spouses of women who give birth through assisted reproduction with donor sperm and similarly situated female spouses of women. Roe v. Patton, No. 2:15-cv-00253-DB, 2015 WL 4476734, at *1 (D. Utah. July 22, 2015). The defendants complied with the injunction, including issuing a birth certificate for the plaintiffs' child listing them both as parents.

On October 16, 2015, the plaintiffs and defendants submitted a joint stipulated proposed order granting a permanent injunction.

On October 20, 2015, the District Court (Judge Dee Benson) converted the preliminary injunction to a permanent injunction and awarded $24,302 in attorney's fees and costs to the plaintiffs.

Sarah Precup - 10/26/2015


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