Australia Woman Wins Damages After Contracting HIV
Tue Jun 10, 1:32 PM ET

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian court on Tuesday ordered two doctors
to pay a woman more than A$700,000 ($460,000) in damages after she
contracted HIV from her former husband, whom she believed had tested
negative for the virus that causes AIDS.

Sydney doctors Nicholas Harvey and King Weng Chen had argued that
doctor-patient confidentiality prevented them from telling the woman,
identified only as PD, that her fiance had HIV before they got
married.

But New South Wales Supreme Court Judge Jerrold Cripps said the
doctors did not make it clear to their patient, identified as FH,
that he had to inform his bride of his medical condition.
Cripps awarded $727,437 in damages to the 28-year-old woman, who had
unprotected sex with her husband in the belief they had both tested
negative for HIV.

A court official said it was unclear whether the doctors would
appeal.