Woman who caught STI from ex-boyfriend in Hyundai claims £4m on car insurance
A woman who caught an STI from her ex-boyfriend in the back of a Hyundai has successfully claimed £4.1million ($5.2m) on car insurance.
The woman, from Missouri, America, was awarded the hefty sum in a settlement against her ex-boyfriend's car insurance company after she claimed she had received a sexually transmitted disease while in the car.
The pair had sex in the back of his 2014 Hyundai Genesis and five years on from the encounter, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that the insurance company most fork over the millions.
GEICO General Insurance Company must pay the millions to the woman after a three-judge panel ruled in favour of the woman.
Court papers revealed that the woman had notified GEICO in February 2021 that she and the insured ex-boyfriend had been in a romantic relationship since 2017.
She told of her intention to seek monetary damages from the insurance company and cited contracting HPV from an insured member of the car as her reason.
The woman alleged in court documents that her ex-boyfriend had been diagnosed with a throat cancer tumour and HPV, yet continued to have unprotected sex with her while knowing the risks.
In May 2021, the arbitrator of the case found that sex in the car had "directly caused, or directly contributed to cause" the HPV infection.
Drink drive mum admits 'I hate cyclists' after Bacardi and Coke-fuelled horror smash
The ex-boyfriend was found liable for not disclosing his infection status, in turn meaning GEICO had to pay out £4.1million for damages and injuries.
Los Angeles attorney Miguel Custodio said that the settlement was reasonable, Daily Mail reported.
Custodio said: "If you think about it as an injury sustained while in that person's vehicle, then it totally falls within what an insurance company would be required to pay.
"The lesson to be learned here is that people need to broaden the scope of what an injury is. Most people would not think that contracting this disease is an injury suffered in a vehicle — though it definitely is."
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Read Full Article
