Vernon Maxwell ordered to pay woman he allegedly exposed to herpes

Jet, March 17, 1997

San Antonio Spurs guard Vernon Maxwell was ordered by a Houston judge to pay $592,000 to a woman who alleged that he knowingly exposed her to genital herpes in July of 1995.

Shelia Rias was granted a default judgment by State district Judge John Donovan after Maxwell failed to show up in court.

The judgment includes $200,000 in punitive damages for gross negligence. The rest is for actual damages to cover medical expenses, physical pain and mental anguish.

Rias' attorney Phillip Bryant, who presented evidence that his client contracted the disease from Maxwell, said Maxwell knew the high risks of transmitting his herpes, but he failed to take reasonable precautions or inform Rias of his condition.

Maxwell was legally served notice of the lawsuit twice late last year at the Alamodome in San Antonio, but he failed to respond or to have an attorney represent him.