After claiming that she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her ex-boyfriend after they had sex in his 2014 Hyundai Genesis, a Missouri woman was given a $5.2 million settlement against his auto insurance company.
The Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed on Tuesday, after five years of litigation, that GEICO General Insurance Company must pay the settlement to the Jackson County woman in this unprecedented case.
According to Yahoo News, a three-judge panel determined that the decision against the insurance company obtained during prior arbitration hearings was valid.
According to court documents acquired by DailyMail.com, the woman notified GEICO in February 2021, indicating that she and the insured had been involved since 2017.
The woman informed the insurance company of her intention to sue for monetary damages, claiming she caught HPV (human papillomavirus) from an insured passenger in his car.
According to court filings, the woman claimed that despite being notified that he had a throat cancer tumor and had been diagnosed with HPV, her ex-boyfriend continued to have unprotected sex with her despite understanding the risks.
The arbitrator determined in May 2021 that the man and woman had sex inside his vehicle, which 'directly caused, or directly contributed to,' the HPV infection.
The ex-boyfriend was found accountable for failing to disclose his illness status, and GEICO was ordered to pay the woman $5.2 million in damages and injuries.
Now, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a ton of new back seat STD lawsuits in the future!