Woman Awarded $5.2 Million Insurance Payout After Catching STD in Car
A woman has been awarded a payout of $5.2 million from a major car insurance company after she contracted an STD while having sex with her partner in the back of a Hyundai.
In court documents, the women — who simply is referred to as M.O. — claims she contracted human papillomavirus, a.k.a. HPV, from her romantic partner while they were getting intimate in the backseat of his car.
Documents reveal the man knew he had HPV, yet he continued to have relations with M.O. He allegedly did not notify her of his condition, which "directly caused, or directly contributed to cause" the infection.
The man's insurance company, GEICO General Insurance Company, was notified by the woman in February 2021 that she intended to seek compensation for damages.
The Jackson County Circuit Court in Missouri ruled the man is indeed liable and the woman was awarded $5 million in her settlement, which is to be paid by his insurance company.
After the ruling, his insurance company took the case to the Missouri Court of Appeals to dispute the ruling. Yahoo! reports a panel of three judges concluded that the results of the original ruling were valid and that the company must pay the settlement.
The ruling reads:
"After M.O. contracted anogenital human papillomavirus, she submitted a settlement offer to GEICO, asserting Insured negligently infected her with the disease during sexual encounters in his automobile, and that Insured's GEICO-issued automobile insurance policy provided coverage for her injuries and losses."
The ruling continues:
"The petition attached to the settlement offer alleged that during 'November and early of December of 2017', Insured and M.O. engaged in unprotected sexual activities in Insured's vehicle, and during those sexual encounters, Insured 'negligently caused or contributed to cause M.O. to be infected with HPV by not taking proper precautions and neglecting to inform and/or disclose his diagnosis', despite 'having knowledge of his condition."
While the three judges were unanimous in their decision, one judge, Judge Tom Chapman, believes GEICO was offered “no meaningful opportunity to participate” in the lawsuit and existing law “relegat(es) the insurer to the status of a bystander.”