Geico gets a chance to defend itself in STD case
The case is being sent back down to lower courts for deliberation after the Missouri Supreme Court found that Geico should have a chance to defend itself against the claims.
The Missouri Supreme Court has vacated a ruling in one of the most sensational stories of 2022, in which a lower court ruled that an auto insurance company must pay a $5.2 million settlement to a woman who claimed she unwittingly caught a sexually transmitted disease from her former romantic partner in his car which was covered by the insurer.
A woman, known herein as M.O. because her identity is concealed, slept with a man in his vehicle in 2017. Later that year, she discovered that she had contracted HPV, a sexually transmissible virus that can cause cervical cancer, from the man.
She alleged that he acted negligently by failing to disclose his HPV-positive status to her. The lower court ruled that Geico was responsible for paying damages to the woman to the tune of $5.2 million.
An arbitrator later ruled in the M.O.’s favor, finding her ex-partner to be liable and directing Geico to pay her $5.2 million in damages. The case then moved to the Missouri Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that Geico should get a chance to defend itself against the claims. The case is being sent back down to the lower courts for further deliberation.
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