A federal jury has awarded $18.4 million in damages to a man who said in a lawsuit that two doctors failed to test him for HIV, which allowed the virus to progress to AIDS. The
Boston Globe reports the jury ruled Monday in favor of 48-year-old Sean Stentiford in his medical malpractice lawsuit against internist Stephen Southard and neurologist Kinan Hreib. Stentiford said he consented to an HIV test in 2007 because he was experiencing facial paralysis. Per the
AP, the suit says Hreib canceled the test because he felt Stentiford had no risk of HIV. Stentiford's lawyer says his client should have been tested because he is gay and was exposed to bodily fluids while working as a paramedic.
By the time the disease was discovered, Stentiford's condition had progressed to AIDS. He suffered brain damage, which in turn ended his career as an attorney. “He had a brilliant future in front of him. They literally cut the legs out from under him,” his lawyer, David P. Angueira, said. “He lost his job. He lost his career. He lost his life.” Lawyers for the doctors didn’t respond Tuesday to requests for comment. Stentiford's lawyer says he lives in New York City and now controls AIDS-related symptoms with medication. (More HIV stories.)
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