An Oregon woman has been awarded $900,000 by a jury this week following claims that she was infected with genital herpes by a lover. The woman filed the suit under a pseudonym and sued the man, a 69-year-old dentist, claiming that he did not reveal his condition before they had sex.
Though lawsuits stemming from sexually transmitted diseases are common, it's rare they ever make it to trial. According to an area television news channel, the man was well aware of his herpes but did not think he was contagious because he was not experiencing an outbreak at the time.
The woman did, in fact, contract the disease and says that she lost her job because of painful outbreaks and later spiraled into depression.
"It made her feel like she needed to isolate herself from society, and she became a recluse," said the unnamed plaintiff's lawyer. "She was interested in finding a husband but pretty much dropped efforts in that direction because of the herpes."
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