Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Houston pastor ordered to pay $2.45M after allegedly giving woman herpes
KPRC Click 2 Houston ^ | October 11, 2023 | Deven Clarke

Posted on 10/12/2023 3:10:30 PM PDT by george76

A prominent Houston pastor has been ordered to pay $2.45 million to a woman that a jury found he gave herpes to.

After a three-day trial and six and a half hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously found Rev. Ralph D. West II liable.

“You can’t fix it, she’s got it for the rest of her life,” said Shaun Murphy, an attorney.

Murphy spoke for his client, who a jury found contracted genital herpes from West after meeting on Facebook. As seen on the Church Without Wall’s website, he’s listed as the Eldridge Campus Minister.

“The things that we look at for cases like these are essentially four things. Is the defendant infected and how can we prove it? Did he know he was infected, do we have evidence of that?” said Murphy.

He added that he was able to prove those facts, along with evidence showing West lied about having herpes and spreading it when he and the woman had unprotected sex in March 2018.

“She got an outbreak two or three days later and then went and got tested. From there, through the medical records, we were able to identify that he was the source of it, in part, because she hadn’t been with anybody else, she had a prior negative test,” Murphy said.

Murphy said subsequent conversations supported the claims.

“When she asks, ‘Where did this come from?’ His response was, his son’s mother,” Murphy said.

He adds there were also emails between West and his client.

“Where she accuses him of knowing he had it, of giving it to her and there are other allegations about not caring about me and that kind of thing,” Murphy said.

The response, Murphy said, was telling.

“He never once denied that he had it or that he knew he had it,” Murphy said.

West declined to comment.

Murphy says his client does feel a sense of relief and vindication with the $2.45 million judgment.

Aside from the financial aspect, he said she hopes this spreads awareness that people can and should be held accountable for knowingly putting their partner at risk for STDs.


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Society
KEYWORDS: herpes; houston; houstonpastor; pastor; woman; womanherpes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

1 posted on 10/12/2023 3:10:30 PM PDT by george76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: george76

Church Without Wall’s and the Pastor Without Condoms.


2 posted on 10/12/2023 3:11:59 PM PDT by Round Earther
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Wow! Those Herpes are expensive.


3 posted on 10/12/2023 3:12:40 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Make America FIRST Again. FJB)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

So how much for the clot shot. You have that for the rest of your life too.


4 posted on 10/12/2023 3:15:18 PM PDT by broken_clock (Go Trump! Still praying.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Ahhh, Herpes… The gift that keeps on giving


5 posted on 10/12/2023 3:16:10 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

I agree some punishment was due but… $2.5 MILLION?! For an ostensibly one night stand?!


6 posted on 10/12/2023 3:17:38 PM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

All venereal disease given to another should have high consequences.


7 posted on 10/12/2023 3:17:54 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

I met a gal and as we were about to get intimate, I asked her if she had any STD’s. She said she had the Herp. I thanked her and told her I was no longer interested in having anything more than a friendly relationship with her.


8 posted on 10/12/2023 3:18:02 PM PDT by shotgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Play stupid games....


9 posted on 10/12/2023 3:23:41 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Trump will be sworn in under a shower of confetti made from the tattered remains of the Rat Party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

no free gift goes unpunished.


10 posted on 10/12/2023 3:25:36 PM PDT by DaxtonBrown (away.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

No need to snoop. its always them boo-boo


11 posted on 10/12/2023 3:25:44 PM PDT by Ikeon (Dont like what you see? then look away. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Don’t have an affair and you won’t be at risk of picking up STDs.


12 posted on 10/12/2023 3:26:22 PM PDT by metmom (He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

>contracted genital herpes from West after meeting on Facebook

All the more reason not to use Facebook if that’s all it takes. Online herpes


13 posted on 10/12/2023 3:26:28 PM PDT by nevadapatriot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76
Every day I thank God that I have been in a monogamous relationship with my wife for almost 40 years now. I was never tempted to stray, even when I was young.

Nowadays even if I was single, you could not pay me enough to screw around without wearing one of these.


14 posted on 10/12/2023 3:36:58 PM PDT by Bubba_Leroy ( Dementia Joe is Not My President)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Isn’t there some “Thou shalt not...” that these church people are missing?


15 posted on 10/12/2023 3:42:04 PM PDT by glorgau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

she got herpes from her choosing to make a poor choice.


16 posted on 10/12/2023 3:48:23 PM PDT by b4me
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

“Murphy spoke for his client, who a jury found contracted genital herpes from West after meeting on Facebook.”


If a meeting on Facebook is all that it takes, time to delete your account !


17 posted on 10/12/2023 3:55:36 PM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Wow- The wrath of God. I guess this pastor still has his job.


18 posted on 10/12/2023 4:09:49 PM PDT by Revel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

Do I need to look?


19 posted on 10/12/2023 4:19:29 PM PDT by nesnah (Infringe - act so as to limit or undermine [something]; encroach on)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nesnah

Nope. I looked already.


20 posted on 10/12/2023 4:37:26 PM PDT by Moonmad27
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson