Doctor Wins $12.2 Million in AIDS Lawsuit

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A jury awarded $12.2 million Wednesday to a doctor infected with the AIDS virus, finding that Yale University was negligent when the woman pricked herself with an infected needle as an intern nine years ago.

The doctor and her family broke down in tears when the verdict was announced.

“Money is not compensation for what I’ve lost,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for this for nine years. It’s been a struggle every day.”

The woman, who sued under the pseudonym Jane Doe, blamed the school for not properly training or supervising her when she was ordered to insert a blood line into the arm of an AIDS patient.

The woman pricked herself in August 1988, just seven weeks into her internship at the hospital. Six weeks later, she tested positive for the AIDS virus.

The woman said she hoped the verdict would send a message to medical residency programs throughout the nation that they must do a better job of training and supervising new residents.

The woman’s attorney, Michael Koskoff, presented evidence that she received just 10 minutes of cursory training in “universal precautions” to prevent HIV transmission before she was ordered to take on the risky medical procedure.

Koskoff had asked for about $21 million to pay for future medical bills, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, the loss of her ability to enjoy life and her inevitable death from the disease.

The six jurors found damages in excess of $15 million but reduced the award by about $3 million, concluding that the woman was 22.5% responsible for the accident.

Yale’s attorney, William Doyle, had argued that the university should not be held responsible because it was Yale-New Haven Hospital’s responsibility to train and supervise the woman.