Negligent Transmission of Herpes
My wife gave me herpes. She did not have herpes when we got married. She confessed that she has been sleeping around. We are getting divorced. Can I sue her for giving me herpes?
Yes. A person can sue another for negligent (or intentional) transmission of a sexual disease. If you prove that you contracted the disease from her, you can recover damages for your medical expenses, future medical costs, and pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
One practical problem with this type of lawsuit is that any money you win can only be collected out of your wife’s assets and future income. If she doesn’t have any money and won’t be making much in the future you will have difficulty collecting any money from her. In addition, filing this type of suit can greatly increase tension in the divorce proceeding and, if children are involved, may impact your relationship with your wife as the two of you work to parent your children. These factors and others need to be considered before filing this type of lawsuit.
An experienced personal injury lawyer can work with your divorce lawyer to help you in this matter.
