A California court is upholding a 2009 Riverside County personal injury verdict ordering millionaire Thomas Redmond to pay ex-girlfriend Patricia Behr $6.7 million for allegedly infecting her with herpes. Redmond had sought to have the verdict tossed on the grounds that there was no way to prove that he was the one who gave her the sexually transmitted disease.
According to ABC News, Redmond knew as far back as 1975 that he had genital herpes. Yet Behr says that it wasn't until four months into their relationship in 2003 that he told her that he had an STD. Behr also contends that Redmond, who is the founder of Redmond Products Incorporated, initially told her that he was "healthy" and "free of disease."
The Riverside County injury verdict awards Behr damages for physical and mental suffering, as well as for related past and future medical expenses.
Herpes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a person with herpes can spread the disease even when he/she isn't having an active outbreak. Men are more likely to infect women partners with herpes than vice versa. There is no cure for herpes and it can be incredibly traumatic, embarrassing, painful, and uncomfortable. Genital herpes can also cause deadly infections in babies, which is why a woman should avoid getting herpes while pregnant. Herpes may also make people more susceptible to the HIV infection, which can cause AIDS.
Redmond is not the only person in California who has been ordered to pay damages for infecting someone with herpes. Last year, a woman was awarded a $2.49 million Los Angeles injury settlement after her husband, who had been unfaithful, gave her the STD.
Woman Gets $6.7 Million in Herpes Lawsuit, ABC News, March 17, 2011
California Court Upholds $6.7 Million Herpes Lawsuit Verdict, AVVO, March 18, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Genital Herpes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Herpes, Web MD
More Riverside County Injury Lawyers Posts:
Recent Los Angeles County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County Truck Accidents Cause Injuries, California Injury Lawyers Blog, December 7, 2010
California Jury Awards $16.5 Million Riverside County Medical Malpractice Verdict to Couple in Injury Case Against Neurosurgeon, California Injury Lawyers Blog, February 12, 2010
