Juwan Howard and herpes?

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Woman says she contracted herpes from Mavericks star

March 7, 2001

CHICAGO (AP) -- Dallas Mavericks star Juwan Howard has been sued by a woman who contends he knowingly infected her with genital herpes.

Howard's lawyer, Frederick Sperling, said Wednesday his client denies the charges and will ``vigorously defend this case.'' The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages.

Dana Hughes filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court on Tuesday. She says she contracted the herpes simplex virus type 2 between August and December 1998, when she had sexual relations with Howard. She said Howard was her only sex partner during that time.

Hughes and Howard had been friends since high school, the lawsuit says. She said Howard should have known he had the virus and therefore refrained from sex with her.

Genital herpes and cold sores result from closely related viruses. Herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1, causes fever blisters on the mouth, while HSV-2 triggers sores on the genitals. Once acquired, both infections last a lifetime.

Surveys have suggested that in the United States, 45 million people ages 12 and older are infected with the genital herpes virus.

Source: Woman says she contracted herpes from Mavericks star