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Man Sues Woman For $160,000 After Allegedly Catching Herpes From Kissing Her

By Akinwale Akinyoade

19 June 2020   |   8:41 am

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An Englishman identified as Martin Ashley Conway has slammed a lawsuit on a woman he went on a date with for knowingly infecting him with the herpes virus when he kissed her. The 45-year-old who claims he has been left traumatised by the aftermath of the date that happened last year says the woman Jovanna Lovelace refused to…

Martin Ashley Conway | DailyMail

An Englishman identified as Martin Ashley Conway has slammed a lawsuit on a woman he went on a date with for knowingly infecting him with the herpes virus when he kissed her.

The 45-year-old who claims he has been left traumatised by the aftermath of the date that happened last year says the woman Jovanna Lovelace refused to inform him that she suffered from cold sores and thus infected him.

The duo met on dating website Meetup.com and went on a romantic date that led to them sharing a kiss.

Conway claims that days after the kiss, he started developing flu-like symptoms and mouth ulcers which made eating difficult and painful. After being referred to a hospital, the London-based fitness instructor was diagnosed with “the lifelong virus of herpes simplex virus” and prescribed medication.

A few days after the initial diagnosis, Conway suffered a panic attack and collapsed in his home after seeing more mouth ulcers developing, despite him taking the prescribed medication. He claims that the condition caused him to fall into a depression that had him endure “a few weeks of not leaving my property except for medical appointments.”

He goes on to say that being infected with herpes simplex has been a traumatising experience and the stigma and pain of having the virus alone have serious psychological implications.

Furthermore, he claims the condition has left him unable to go cycling because he worries that the sweat and stress might cause a flare-up. He even mentioned that the virus left him vulnerable to a “rare but devastating” condition called sporadic encephalitis.

He decided to sue his Lovelace whom he believes is responsible for his contracting the “virus for life,” so he sued her for a whopping £136,328.

“I was upset, angry and very confused. I wanted justice and it was then I decided I wanted to take legal action against the respondent for the illness she brought upon me,” Martin Ashley Conway said. “As a herpetic, the respondent had a moral and ethical and legal duty to warn me of the risks that I would be exposed to, considering the contagious nature of the virus and herpes being a ‘virus for life’. I did not freely enter into the risks relating to the injury or any type of contagion. I was kissed before I was informed of any cold sore.”

“The respondent owed me a duty of care…(and) a harm was reasonably foreseeable,” Conway added. “It is fair, just and reasonable for the court to impose a duty of care upon the respondent, due to the risk that was negligently being taken with my health, which was reasonably foreseeable which led to three weeks of severe acute symptoms, leading to emotional, physical and financial distress.”

The over £130,000 he is asking as compensation includes over £100,000 for fortnightly therapy sessions until the age of 79, as well as lost earnings while he was ill and income protection insurance in case of future herpes flare-ups.

Lovelace on her part denies any liability, calling the lawsuit “frivolous and vexatious”, denies his version of events and the accuracy of much of his account of their relationship.