Image: Facebook/@usher
A woman who claims to have had unprotected sex with R&B artist Usher is now suing him for a cool $20 million after she tested positive for herpes.
Reports first came from gossip outlet TMZ, which said it had obtained legal documents with claims that the woman and Usher had an affair this year in Atlanta.
The initial lawsuit demanded $10 million because the Grammy award-winning singer, whose full name is Usher Raymond IV, did not disclose that he had a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and the damages would cover “negligence, battery and emotional distress.”
Since the complainant, a Jane Doe, received her positive test results, the demands have been increased to $20 million for “emotional harm, medical bills and punitive damages,” according to TMZ.
A Radar Online report states that Usher settled $1.1 million with a woman for giving her herpes.
The singer is said to have contracted herpes between 2009 and 2010 when he was in the middle of divorcing his first wife, Tameka Foster.
The settlement was made in 2012 after the woman had fevers and vaginal sores due to herpes. The “Yeah!” and “Confessions” artist allegedly denied having any STI prior to having unprotected sex.
Usher, who remarried in 2015 to Grace Miguel, has not commented on the matter.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, herpes is a common STI and that “most people with the virus don’t have symptoms.” It can be passed on through “vaginal, anal, or oral sex.”
While there is no cure at present, medicines can prevent or shorten outbreaks and can make passing on the infection less likely. Niña V. Guno /ra
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