Why A Woman Won $900,000 In Damages After Her Date Gave Her Herpes

A jury awarded an Oregon woman $900,000 after her date allegedly gave her herpes.

According to OregonLive.com, the plaintiff, a 49-year-old woman from Beaverton, met her date on Internet dating website eHarmony in 2010.

After three dates, she was satisfied that the defendant, a 69-year-old retired dentist, was exactly her type, reports the website:

“He seemed well-educated, charming and kind. They had a lot in common, including that she was a dental hygienist and he was a retired dentist. On the fourth date -- an evening that included hors d'oeuvres, wine and a few puffs of pot -- the two had sex.”

On their fourth date the pair had sex, and roughly 11 days later, the plaintiff had a herpes outbreak, it was revealed in court.

During testimony in the case, the woman said she had asked the defendant to wear a condom. She said he agreed but removed it, without her knowledge, before the act was finished. Afterward, he allegedly told her he had herpes, reported The Huffington Post.

According to OreganLive.com, outbreaks of the condition, have been repeated and painful.

Why Women Are More Likely To Cheat On Their Husbands

She took anti-viral medication, which caused large amounts of her hair to fall out. She also suffered from anxiety and depression, and the drugs she took to ease those symptoms caused her to gain 30 pounds.

The defendant testified he did not know he was contagious, according to the Associated Press.

The man's attorney, Shawn Lillegren, argued that the plaintiff might have contracted the infection from someone else. And besides, she knew the risk, he said.

"Grow up. Come on. You're an adult. He's an adult. They had sex," Lillegren said, according to The Oregonian. "The point is she is not some little innocent victim."

However the jury disagreed.

"We all felt he should have told her - he had the responsibility to tell her," said juror Noah Brimhall.