Houston pastor ordered to pay $2.45M after allegedly giving woman herpes

HOUSTON – A outstanding Houston pastor has been ordered to pay $2.45 million to a woman {that a} jury discovered he gave herpes to.

After a three-day trial and 6 and a part hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously discovered Rev. Ralph D. West II liable.

“You can’t fix it, she’s got it for the rest of her life,” mentioned Shaun Murphy, an lawyer.

Murphy spoke for his consumer, who a jury discovered gotten smaller genital herpes from West after assembly on Facebook. As noticed at the Church Without Wall’s website, he’s indexed because the Eldridge Campus Minister.

“The things that we look at for cases like these are essentially four things. Is the defendant infected and how can we prove it? Did he know he was infected, do we have evidence of that?” mentioned Murphy.

He added that he used to be in a position to turn out the ones info, together with proof appearing West lied about having herpes and spreading it when he and the woman had unprotected intercourse in March 2018.

“She got an outbreak two or three days later and then went and got tested. From there, through the medical records, we were able to identify that he was the source of it, in part, because she hadn’t been with anybody else, she had a prior negative test,” Murphy mentioned.

Murphy mentioned next conversations supported the claims.

“When she asks, ‘Where did this come from?’ His response was, his son’s mother,” Murphy mentioned.

He provides there have been additionally emails between West and his consumer.

“Where she accuses him of knowing he had it, of giving it to her and there are other allegations about not caring about me and that kind of thing,” Murphy mentioned.

The reaction, Murphy mentioned, used to be telling.

“He never once denied that he had it or that he knew he had it,” Murphy mentioned.

West declined to remark.

Murphy says his consumer does really feel a way of aid and vindication with the $2.45 million judgment.

Aside from the monetary facet, he mentioned she hopes this spreads consciousness that folks can and will have to be held in control of knowingly placing their spouse in peril for STDs.