Hold on to your condoms, ladies and gents, you're gonna need them. We all know that sexually transmitted diseases are incredibly common. We all know that we don't want to get one, and if we do, it can be painful, humiliating, and horrible. But what we didn't know was that it can also be very expensive. A dental hygienist in Oregon has been awarded $900,000 by a jury after she sued a man she met on eHarmony who ended up giving her herpes.
The couple dated four times before they had sex and the woman, who is 49, says she thought the man had put on a condom, but then it turned out he didn't. Hey, like that scene in Knocked Up when Katherine Heigl thinks Seth Rogen has a condom on but he doesn't? Yeah, just like that. Only NOT funny.
Then apparently the guy was all, "Ba-dah! Guess what? You now have a gift. The gift that keeps on giving. The gift of ... herpes!" And she was all, "I'm suing!"
The jury decided that the woman was 25 percent responsible for this situation since she didn't make absolutely certain he was wearing a condom. And that he was 75 percent responsible because he didn't warn her that he had herpes. Said one juror: "We all felt he should have told her -- he had the responsibility to tell her." Well, you know how that pesky little STD can slip your mind sometimes.
Anyway, it's pretty rare for someone to not only bring a case like this, but to win it. It could certainly mean more lawsuits like this one. But whole set of complex factors would have to exist: Proof that this person had the STD you have. Proof that you slept with no one else but this person. Proof that this particular STD doesn't have a long incubation period. Proof that the person knew he/she had it. Also, some STDs, like HPV, can be transmitted even with a condom. Who to blame then?
On the other hand, perhaps a case like this will spur people into revealing their STDs more often. It must be a difficult talk to have, but it must be done.
Do you have STD discussions with your sexual partners?
Image via robertelyov/ Flickr
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Comments 19
But I think the ruling is fair. I think the amount of $$ might be a little out there though.
I haven't had to have this discussion in a looong time but when I was dating yes I had this discussion with every single person that I slept with. Then we still used condoms. Always.
He should have told her but what does $900,000 cover??? That is a wee bit mcuh.
Perhaps an even better plan would be not to have sex outside of marriage.
@FloridaMom96 - what will that solve? Then you're married to someone who potentially has a disease and can give it to you anyway.
Fact of the matter is that you can have as many "talks" about STDs as you want but you can't make someone tell the truth and you can't force them to be tested. It's up to you what you do in that situation, but I also find it unreasonable to believe or demand that people NEVER get caught up in the heat of the moment.