The litigious society

GEICO General Insurance Co. must pay a woman identified only as M.O. a $5.2 million settlement, the Missouri Court of Appeals ruled on June 7, after she contracted the sexually transmitted disease HPV from an insured member during intimate relations in his automobile. The Kansas City Star reported that the Jackson County woman contacted GEICO in February 2021, and the company sent the case to arbitration. Four months later, the arbitrator found that the man was liable for not disclosing his infection status, and M.O. was awarded the large sum, to be paid by GEICO.