Woman who caught STI from ex having sex in his car lands $7m

A woman has been awarded millions in damages from her ex boyfriend’s car insurer after he infected her with an STI in his SUV.

A US woman who was horrified to realise she had caught an STI from an ex after having sex in his car is to be handed $7 million from his insurers.

The pair had sexual intercourse in the man’s 2014 Hyundai Genesis and the woman, from Missouri, was shocked when she found out she had contracted HPV.

HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection which usually shows no symptoms and goes away by itself, but can sometimes cause serious illness, according to Cancer Council.

After contracting the STI in her ex’s SUV, she sought damages and a court has just ruled that the man’s car insurance company must pay the woman $7 million, The Sun reports.

She notified the General Insurance Company (GEICO) in February 2021 that she wanted to seek monetary damages after allegedly catching an STI from an insured member in his car, court papers show.

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A woman who caught an STI from her ex after having sex in his car has been awarded $7m in damages from his car insurer. Picture: Supplied

The woman argued the man infected her despite knowing he had the condition and the risk he could pass it on through unprotected sex, reports Yahoo.

But the insurance company rejected the settlement and the case was sent to arbitration.

Last May, it found the man and woman had sex inside his car and it “directly caused, or directly contributed to cause” the HPV infection.

He was found liable for not disclosing that he was infected and the woman was handed £7 million for damages and injuries to be paid by GEICO.

Insurance company GEICO tried to fight the claim but the court’s decision was upheld. Picture: Supplied

The company filed motions for a new hearing of evidence and for the compensation to be ditched, claiming the judgment violated the company’s rights to fair treatment.

Its requests, however, were denied.

A three-judge panel has now confirmed the lower court did not make a mistake by rejecting the company’s motion.

It added that the GEICO did not have a right to “relitigate those issues” once damages had been determined and a judgment was given.

Symptoms of HPV

Most people infected with HPV do not have any symptoms, the Australian Department of Health states.

There are over 150 different kinds of HPV with at least 12 “high risk” strains.

Some types of HPV can cause genital warts, which appear as small growths on or around the genitalia and anus.

There are two strains of HPV — types 16 and 18 — that cause the majority of HPV-related cancers.

It is estimated that up to 80 per cent of people in Australia have HPV at some time in their lives.

— With The Sun