NSW Can I Sue Husband for Giving Me STD?

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Sweets

Member
3 January 2017
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My husband and I have been married for 7 years and he has been cheating on and off the whole time, with me catching him propositioning girls online, researching brothels, etc.

In April 2013, he gave me an STD. I had symptoms and went to the doctor to find out I have gonorrhea. He denied the whole thing and we both got treated. I kind of went into post-traumatic shock I think after that.

I then got pregnant in August and had my son in April 2014. After another incident where he added a young girl on Facebook in early 2015, we started therapy where he admitted he went to a brothel and had sex with four prostitutes and contracted the STD.

After months of therapy, he seemed to have changed and I stupidly got pregnant again in September 2015 and had a baby girl in May 2016.

Our marriage has been terrible this year and I had suspicions of him cheating again.

In August, I had similar symptoms with discharge and confronted him if he was cheating and if I had another STD. He promised he had not done anything. The symptoms went away so I convinced myself it was post-partum related discharge.

In December, the discharge came back full force and I spent everyday asking whether it was another STD and whether he was cheating on me and again he denied it and swore on our child's life.

I was too scared to go to the doctor as deep down I knew the truth.

My symptoms got worse with swollen lymph nodes, weak immune system as I caught a lot of colds. It was evident my body was trying to fight something off. He watched me deteriorate and when questioned if it were possible if I had an STD he said no. He also sent me an article about a forum thread about post-partum discharge and told me that's what I had.

Finally I went to the doctor again at the end of December and was diagnosed with gonorrhea again. He admitted he had paid for sexual acts again in August at an adult massage place.

We have agreed to a separation and divorce with sharing custody and finances, however, I want to sue him for psychological damages and for withholding information that was detrimental to my health - I will have a scan soon to see if the infection has spread internally as I'm at risk for pelvic inflammatory disease.

Please tell me I have rights to sue him for this! I want him to suffer! He watched me walk around sick with an infection for months and didn't disclose information.
 

Rod

Lawyer
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27 May 2014
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If you are using a lawyer for family law matters, also ask them about your cause of action for medical expenses and pain and suffering.

While I can understand your frustration and sense of betrayal, this doesn't give a right to legal action. Best talk to a lawyer, as there still may be a cause of action for you but it needs someone to listen to you in more detail than is appropriate to put online.