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VANCOUVER — The University of B.C. has agreed to compensate hundreds of cancer victims whose sperm was inadvertently destroyed, in a settlement that recognizes for the first time sperm as property.

The $6.2-million settlement was reached by both sides in April after years of wrangling in B.C. courts.

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Sandy Kovacs, lawyer for the donors, hailed the settlement.

“It provides fair compensation for men who have suffered the loss of ability to have children of their own,” said Kovacs on Tuesday.

About 400 men, mostly cancer patients who wanted their sperm preserved for future procreation before undergoing radiation treatment, stored samples with the UBC Andrology Lab for a fee.

In 2002, the freezer had a power interruption, which damaged or destroyed the samples.

‘It provides fair compensation for men who have suffered the loss of ability to have children of their own’

The long-running class action suit was first filed nearly 12 years ago, but B.C. Supreme Court denied certification. The plaintiffs appealed and in 2011 the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned the decision and certified the suit.