GEICO Must Pay $5.2 Million To The Woman Who Sued Them After She Got An STD Having Sex In A Car
2021 was a mess, but it did give us this glorious headline: a woman sued GEICO for catching HPV in a car they insured. The woman, known only as M.O. (the first two letters in MONAY, BAYBAY!), had unprotected sex with her then-boyfriend, M.B., in late 2017 in a GEICO-insured Hyundai Genesis. In February 2021 M.O. told GEICO she wanted $1 million in monetary damages. They declined, and the case was sent to arbitration. Big mistake. HUGE. Cuz Global News reports that the Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri ordered the insurance company must pay M.O. $5.2 million in damages! That is one rich (HPV-riddled) bitch!
According to court docs, the Jackson County woman claimed the man who allegedly infected her was well aware he carried the HPV virus and could transmit it to her via unprotected sex. M.O.’s argument was that M.B.’s lack of disclosure caused “mental and physical pain and suffering” and left her with a bill for “past and future medical expenses.” She initially notified GEICO that she was suing her ex, and asked the insurance company for a settlement of $1 million. She reasoned that, since she was “negligently infected” in a vehicle insured by GEICO, they should cover her injuries and damages. They turned down the claim, and M.O. and M.B. entered arbitration. The arbitrator found M.B. liable for not telling M.O. about his infection status and said it was the insurance company’s responsibility to pay her $5.2 million in damages. GEICO appealed the judgment, but, this Tuesday, that figure was upheld by the Jackson County Circuit Court.
In its appeal, GEICO claims that it never had the chance to defend itself. In court filings, the company called the arbitration between M.O. and M.B. “collusive and a sham”, via Global News:
“But GEICO did have the opportunity to participate and defend its interests — including the ability to challenge liability and damages — by entering a defense of Insured,” according to the appeals court, which bolded and italicized the word “did.”
The court’s opinion was that the insurance company has “no right to relitigate those issues” now after liability and damages had been established both by an arbitrator and a trial court.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, GEICO said, “The question of whether there is coverage for this matter will be determined” by a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District in Missouri. So, yeah, they’re continuing to fight in a federal court. But, according to the Kansas City Star, GEICO may not have to pay, “given the related federal court case filed by the insurer, which contests that the claim is covered by its auto policy.” Aaand, now they’ve lost me.
The lesson here is: the GEICO Gecko is a slut-shaming cheapskate who doesn’t believe women. CANCELED.