A US woman who claimed she caught a sexually transmitted disease when she had sex with her boyfriend in his vehicle has been awarded a $5.2 million settlement from her now-ex-partner’s car insurance company.
The woman, who was identified in court records as simply M.O., told GEICO insurance she intended to seek monetary damages in February 2021 after she allegedly contracted the human papilloma virus (HPV) from a GEICO customer while in his vehicle.
The insurance company declined the settlement and sent the case to arbitration.
The arbitrator determined that “there was sexual activity in (insured’s) automobile” that “directly caused, or directly contributed to cause” the woman to be infected with HPV.
In addition, he was found liable for not disclosing his infection status. Thus, the woman was awarded $5.2 million in damages and injuries — and GEICO had to pay them.
The insurance company filed motions seeking a new hearing, but the motions were denied. Eventually, they appealed.
The Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the previous decision and said that GEICO did not have a right to “relitigate those issues” once damages had been determined and a judgment was entered.
