KALAMAZOO, MI -- A well-known Kalamazoo philanthropist and business leader is being sued by a former employee who claims he demanded sex from her and fathered two children with her.

William Parfet, an heir to the Upjohn Company, is named in the lawsuit filed earlier this week in federal court in San Jose, California.

The woman claims sexual harassment, sex discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination in the lawsuit.

Parfet, 69, retired in January as chairman, president and chief executive officer of MPI Research, a drug and compound testing company based in Mattawan.

Parfet is the great-grandson of Upjohn Co. founder Dr. W.E. Upjohn.

In the lawsuit, the woman claims Parfet began an unwanted sexual relationship with her three years after they met in China in 2005. She was working as a consultant for him.

She claims she was forced into sex acts and that he demanded sex from her. The woman began working full-time for MPI in 2008 and the relationship continued, despite her marriage. They had indiscreet meetings in hotel rooms.

According to the lawsuit, the woman became pregnant in 2008 and the baby was born in 2009. She was fired later that year, then began working again for MPI in 2013.

In the meantime, she gave birth to another son in 2012 as she worked as a consultant for another company that sought investment funds from Parfet.

She began working again for MPI in late 2013 and was terminated again in September 2014.

The woman earlier in 2014 filed legal motions to require Parfet to pay child support, but as of early 2015 he had refused to pay. Attorneys claim paternity tests have showed that Parfet is the father of both children.

"Defendant Parfet refused to publicly acknowledge their children and he also refused to provide any financial or emotional support," the lawsuit claims.

Parfet and other Kalamazoo area philanthropists are behind a recent investment plan to eliminate a budget deficit in Kalamazoo and lower the property tax rate.

Parfet, along with William Johnston, were named as contributors to the Foundation for Excellence, a fund intended to earn investment funds to provide a guaranteed revenue stream. About $70 million has been committed by donors over a three-year period.