2 minutes read2 minutes readA Missouri (USA) woman has won a $5.2 million dollar lawsuit against insurance giant Geico, after claiming that she contracted human papillomavirus (HPV), an STD, while having sex in the backseat of a Hyundai sedan whose owner was covered by the insurance company.
The woman, who has remained anonymous in the court filing, stated that she had unprotected sex with the man. Unknown to her, he had HPV at the time. She claimed that he did not tell her about his HPV diagnosis even though he knew about it. She admitted to not asking if he had been tested for STDs or if he had any protection available before they engaged in sex.
The woman was initially awarded more than five million dollars by a Missouri court to pay for medical expenses and injuries associated with contracting the STD. Geico is fighting the case.
Geico has stated that since the woman has admittedly said she had sexual encounters with this man, all unprotected, at many different locations, it is impossible to establish that the transmission of the virus occurred in the car.
Despite Geico’s objections, the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the $5.2 million dollar judgment for medical expenses and pain and suffering, ordering Geico to pay the woman.
The Importance Of HPV Testing
HPV is an extremely common sexually transmitted virus. In fact, it’s one of the most common viruses in the world. There are more than 100 strains of the HPV virus.
The virus is transmitted from skin-to-skin contact. Certain types of HPV can cause genital warts to appear. The type that causes genital warts is known as a low-risk strain. However, often there are no symptoms present with HPV infections, which can explain how the virus can go undetected. Even if a person has no symptoms of HPV, they can still transmit it to others if they are infected.
HPV infections have been associated with the development of certain cancers later in life. These are called high-risk strains. Some high-risk strains are linked to cervical cancer. HPV infections usually go away within two years, however, they can cause changes in the cells of the cervix that can develop into cancer many years later. HPV is also associated with penis, throat, anus, and tonsil cancers. These can take decades to develop.
So, how can you avoid getting HPV? Make sure you use a condom whenever you have sex. Also, ask about your partner’s sexual history and whether or not they have been tested for STDs. Finally, make sure you get tested, as well. Because HPV is linked with cancer, it’s very important to be tested for HPV whenever you have a new sexual partner, unprotected sex, or if you have symptoms of HPV.
