County's False HIV Scare Miffs Couple
7-15-2013 11:56:00


     OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) - A couple has sued Alameda County and Kaiser Permanente for falsely informing them they had been exposed to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

      Johane and Sebastien Jean-Philippe claim the Alameda County Public Health Department and its agents, including defendant Kelly Stemple, contacted them by phone last year to inform them they had been exposed to STDs and HIV. Stemple directed them to a Kaiser hospital for treatment, according to their complaint.
     The couple later discovered they had not been exposed to any STDs or the virus that causes AIDS, though when they discovered their clean bill of health is not made clear in the complaint. But the misinformation and resulting shock has had lasting effects, the Jean-Philippes claim.
     "In violation of all plaintiffs' legal rights, defendants disseminated wrongful, hateful, libelous and slanderous information that caused an upheaval in plaintiffs' extended family with recriminations to plaintiffs," the complaint states.
     The Jean-Philippes seek damages for medical malpractice and loss of consortium. They are represented by Robert G. Schock of Oakland.
RG13-687142