JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – At least for now, Geico can’t pay a Missouri woman $5.2 million because she says she get a sexually transmitted disease in a car of a man is insured by the company.
Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimous rule to overturn a lower court ruling in favor of paying the woman. Instead, state Supreme Court justices said Maryland-based Geico should have had the opportunity to weigh in sooner and send the case back to lower court for further consideration.
According to court documents, the woman, identified as MO, and a man in an affair, had sex in the man’s car. She assumed she had contracted HPV, the virus that causes human papillomavirus, because the man hadn’t told her he had it. HPV can cause cervical cancer, some other cancers, and genital warts.
In February 2021, MO informed Geico that she intends to seek $1 million in insurance claims against this man. She argued the man’s auto insurance provide insurance for her injuries and loss.
The insurance company declined to settle, saying the woman’s claim did not occur due to normal vehicle use, according to court documents.
An arbitrator ultimately determined that she should be awarded $5.2 million for her damages and injuries. Geico tried to intervene in the case but was dismissed by the appellate court.
