Woman, 49, awarded $900,000 after retired dentist, 69, she met on eHarmony gave her herpes



After signing up to dating website eHarmony one 49-year-old divorcee was delighted to meet a charming gentleman twenty years her senior.



The pair from Oregon had plenty to talk about, for starters, she was a dental hygienist, he was a retired dentist.



But now a jury has awarded $900,000 to the woman who claimed that the 69-year-old Portland man intentionally gave her herpes.

eHerpes: A woman has been granted $900,000 after suing a man she met on dating website eHarmony claiming he intentionally gave her herpes (file picture)

The jury heard how on May 25 2010 the two met up for their fourth date where - after an evening of getting to know one another over canapes, wine and smoking marijuana - they had sex.

Lying together post coitus, the man then confessed to having the sexually transmitted disease. She kicked him out her home.



After suffering from painful outbreaks of the disease which sent her into depression, the woman filed a lawsuit.

The woman, who filed the case under a pseudonym, testified that she asked her date to wear a condom and he agreed, however, she later noticed he was no longer wearing protection.

The Oregonian reports that it was the first time that a case of a person suing another for intentionally transmitting genital herpes went to trial in Oregon, according to lawyers.



They say similar cases have been settled out of court.

Setting a precedent: It was the first time that a case of a person suing another for intentionally transmitting genital herpes went to trial in Oregon, according to lawyers

The man testified he didn't know he was contagious. His lawyer argued that she was lying about her sexual history and may have had sex with other men who gave her the disease.



The woman from Beaverton, Oregon, said she took anti-viral medication but it caused large chunks of her hair to fall out and made her weight balloon by 30 pounds.



The woman’s attorney, Randall Vogt, praised his client as a ‘heroine’ for holding a ‘dangerous’ man responsible, reported the Oregonian.



Defense attorney, Shawn Lillegren, said the woman should have insisted that his client wear a condom and argued that she was money-hungry.



'Go for a million -- that's plaintiff's message,' Lillegren said. 'God bless America. Go for it. Got some coffee to spill on me?'

After deliberating for two hours the jury reached a verdict: The man was 75 percent negligent, while the woman carried 25 percent of the blame.