Woman in US had sex in car, got STD. Now, court tells insurance co to pay her $5.2 million
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The woman, who learned she was infected with HPV in 2018, claimed the man knew he had HPV but failed to inform her, leaving her with "past and future medical expenses" and "mental and physical pain and suffering."
An American woman might be awarded up to $5.2 million in damages after contracting a sexually transmitted disease while having sex in her Geico-insured automobile with a former romantic partner.
In February 2021, the lady, named as M.O. in court filings, told Geico that she planned to sue for $1 million in monetary damages over a 2017 sexual encounter with her then-significant other, identified as M.B., during which she allegedly caught human papillomavirus (HPV).
The Jackson County woman stated the man who allegedly infected her was aware of his disease as well as the dangers of having unprotected sex, according to court documents.
Due to Geico's refusal to accept the initial settlement, the case was referred to arbitration.
The M.O. and M.B. having sex inside of their automobile "directly caused, or directly helped to cause" the STD, according to the arbitrator in May 2021.
M.B. was found guilty of failing to inform his former partner of his infection status, and M.O. was granted $5.2 million in damages, which will be paid by Geico.
The insurance company had previously asked for the multi-million dollar award to be thrown out, saying that it violated Geico's due process rights. Geico filed an appeal after the request was denied.
The verdict reached against Geico through the earlier arbitration was judged to be valid in an opinion written by a three-judge panel on Tuesday.
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