Verdicts & Settlements

$2M Award Tossed; Woman Claimed Fiance's Parents Were Part of AIDS Coverup

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A woman who won a $2 million jury verdict in part because she claimed her fiance’s parents failed to let her know their son was dying of AIDS is not entitled to the award, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled.

The woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” won the $2 million from a Cook County, Ill., jury in 2004. But the Illinois high court said the woman had numerous reasons to doubt her fiance’s health before they began having unprotected sex, the Chicago Tribune reports.

“She ignored each and every fact that pointed to the truth, which was that Albert [Dilling] had a very serious health problem and she—having had unprotected sexual relations with him—was at risk for contracting it,” Justice Charles Freeman wrote in the court’s 6-0 opinion (PDF).

The court further ruled that the woman’s claims for “fraudulent misrepresentation” are generally limited to business disputes over money.

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