An insurance company must pay a $5.2 million settlement to a Jackson County woman who claimed she caught a sexually transmitted disease from her former romantic partner.
A panel of three judges found that the judgment entered against GEICO was valid. Errors were made in Jackson County Circuit Court and the settlement agreement was not in line with the law, according to the insurance companies.
According to court papers, the woman, identified in court records only as M.O., notified GEICO in February of 2021. She said the man caused her to get the STD even though he was aware of the risks.
The insurance company refused to settle the case.
The man and woman had sex in his vehicle, which was found to have contributed to the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus. The man was found liable for not revealing his status and the woman was awarded a large sum of money.
The insurance company filed motions for a new hearing of the evidence and for the award to be thrown out, saying the judgement violated the company's rights to due process. After those requests were denied, the company appealed.
The lower court did not make a mistake by denying the company's motions, even though GEICO did not have a right to "relitigate those issues" after a judgement was entered.
Judge Tom Chapman said in a separate opinion that he believed GEICO was offered no meaningful opportunity to participate in the lawsuit.
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